Wolfpack will face Notre Dame in Gator
RALEIGH - North Carolina State's dream bowl matchup became a reality Sunday when Notre Dame accepted a bid to the Gator Bowl to play the Wolfpack on Jan. 1.
It will be the first meeting between No. 17 N.C. State (10-3) and one of college football's most storied programs.
"It's kind of a Cinderella thing. I just hope we bring the slipper," N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said.
The Wolfpack accepted its bowl bid 12 days ago, but had to wait until the Bowl Championship Series released the Fighting Irish (10-2) on Sunday to get its opponent for the New Year's Day game in Jacksonville, Fla.
"With the following Notre Dame has throughout the country, and probably the world, everybody will be glued to that TV," Amato said.
"Here is a team that four weeks ago people were talking about winning the national championship. They were right in the hunt of the BCS bowls and possibly going to the Fiesta Bowl. And now we have the honor of playing them . . . they are awfully, awfully good."
N.C. State will be heading to its third straight bowl game under Amato with some momentum following a 17-7 win over Atlantic Coast Conference champion Florida State, giving the Wolfpack its first 10-win season in school history.
Meanwhile, No. 11 Notre Dame fell out of a BCS game after losing 44-13 to Southern Cal last weekend.
"It's one of those ones where we better be ready to play," Amato said. "Our last game was a big win and their last game was a spanking."
Amato laughed when asked if he would get in touch with Southern Cal offensive coordinator Norm Chow, a former assistant under the N.C. State coach, to ask him for some tips.
"We'll make a phone call," he said.