As Selection Sunday Approaches, Notre Dame is a Popular Media Prediction

The 28th Camping World Bowl is just around the corner, and as we gear up for Selection Sunday, here’s a round-up of projections from around the college football media world through Week 13:

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN): Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
David M. Hale (ESPN): Virginia Tech vs. Texas
Eric Single (Sports Illustrated): Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Jerry Palm (CBS Sports): Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Bill Bender (Sporting News): Florida State vs. Oklahoma State
Jason Kirk (SB Nation): Virginia Tech vs. Iowa State
Brant Parsons (Orlando Sentinel): NC State vs. Oklahoma State
CollegeFootballNews.com: Notre Dame vs. West Virginia
Brett McMurphy: Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State

Notre Dame vs. Iowa State

• There are no previous matchups between the programs.
• The Irish have appeared in the Camping World Bowl once, in 2011, and have also played a pair of neutral-site games at Camping World Stadium, most recently against Navy in 2000.
• Notre Dame’s No. 7 rushing offense (279.1 yards per game) would be up against the Cyclones’ No. 32 rushing defense, which allows 134.3 yards per game on the ground.

The No. 13 Hokies upset the No. 9 Longhorns 28-10 in the 1995 Sugar Bowl

Virginia Tech vs. Texas

• Texas and Virginia Tech have only met once before, with Virginia Tech defeating the Longhorns in the 1995 Sugar Bowl.
• Virginia Tech’s only appearance in the Camping World Bowl was its OT victory in 2012 — the only overtime game in the bowl’s history.
• Texas has traveled to Florida for three previous bowl games — the last was the 1974 Gator Bowl — and would be making its debut in the Camping World Bowl.
• Both teams have a strong rushing D, as Virginia Tech ranks No. 16 nationally (118.1 yards per game) while Texas is No. 6 (105.7).

Virginia Tech vs. Iowa State

• This would be the first meeting between programs.
• In this matchup, Iowa State would likely need to rely on its passing offense, ranked 32nd nationally (269.5 yards per game), as Virginia Tech’s No. 16 rushing defense is allowing just 118.1 yards per game on the ground. (Iowa State currently averages 119.8 yards per game on the ground, 113th out of 129 teams.)
• The Cyclones’ total defense (368.4 yards per game) against the Hokies’ total offense (404.1) would be a fairly even matchup, as they are ranked 46th and 61st among FBS teams.

NC State vs. Oklahoma State

• These programs have not met on the gridiron.
• The Cowboys average 575.7 yards per game through Week 13, second in FBS, including 392.3 passing yards, which ranks first nationally; NC State, meanwhile, allows 244.9 passing yards per contest, which is ranked 97th nationally.
• Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph leads all of FBS in passing yards (4,553) and passing yards per game (379.4), while wideout James Washington ranks first nationally in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (1,423 and 118.6, respectively) and has hauled in 12 touchdown passes, which ranks second in the Big 12 and fourth nationally.

Florida State vs. Oklahoma State

Florida State held off Oklahoma State 37-31 in the 2014 season opener

• Florida State has won four of five previous meetings between the schools.
• Oklahoma State’s only win over the Seminoles was in the 1958 Bluegrass Bowl.
• Their most recent matchup was in 2014, when the Cowboys opened their season against Jameis Winston and the reigning national champs at AT&T Stadium in Dallas; Florida State won, 37-31.
• Quarterback Mason Rudolph leads the most effective passing offense in the nation, which averages 392.3 yards per game.
• Florida State’s passing D is ranked No. 30 nationally in yards allowed (195.5 yards per game).

Notre Dame vs. West Virginia

• Notre Dame leads the all-time series 4-0, starting with a 34-21 win in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl.
• The last time the programs met was in South Bend in 2001, a 34-24 victory for Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame would likely rely on its seventh-ranked rushing offense (279.1 yards per game) against West Virginia, as the Mountaineers have been giving up an average of 204.8 rushing yards per game (No. 105 nationally).

Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State

• The teams have split their head-to-head series all-time, 1-1, with the most recent meeting coming in 1972.
• This would be Oklahoma State’s first appearance in the Camping World Bowl and fourth appearance in a Florida bowl game, including the 1976 Citrus Bowl — known then as the Tangerine Bowl. The Cowboys beat BYU 49-21 in that game.
• The Hokies vs. the Cowboys would be a matchup of strengths: Virginia Tech ranks third nationally allowing just 13.5 points per game, while Oklahoma State trails only UCF and Memphis in scoring offense, averaging 46.3 points per game.