Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5) vs. No. 23 LSU Tigers (8-4)
Dec. 30, 3 p.m. ET, LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee (ESPN)
Key matchup: Notre Dame QBs Everett Golson and Malik Zaire vs. LSU's secondary
Why it matters: Stop us if you've heard this before: The Irish have quarterback issues and the Tigers have a dominant secondary. While it is unclear who will start under center for Notre Dame, Golson and Zaire are both expected to see playing time, as Zaire relieved Golson in the regular-season finale following the former's 22nd turnover of the season. Who knows how this plays out between the two moving forward -- heck, Golson vs. Zaire may actually be the key matchup in this game, by definition -- but it is clear that both QBs will have their work cut out for them against LSU defensive backs that led the nation's No. 4 pass defense, having surrendered just 163.33 yards per game through the air. Golson needs to protect the ball and make better decisions. Zaire needs to show he can thrive in extended action and take control of an offense. Standing in their way are guys like All-SEC second-team safety Ronald Martin (2 INTs, 2 forced fumbles) and All-SEC freshman first-teamer Jamal Adams (5 break-ups, 5 passes defended). The Tigers boast two other DBs with at least two picks apiece, in Tre'Davious White and Rickey Jefferson.
Who wins: It is hard to find a favorable matchup in this contest for Notre Dame, though the struggles of LSU's offense at times have to be somewhat of a silver lining for an Irish defense that has been holding it together by a thread down the stretch of the season. Could Zaire, in theory, assume the mantle as Notre Dame starter and carve up the Tigers' secondary? In theory, sure. But the safer bet is that the LSU D provides too tough of a challenge for an Irish offense that has consistently gotten in its own way, and the Tigers' offense is able to do enough against a banged-up Irish D. LSU hands Notre Dame its fifth straight loss to end the season, winning this one 38-27.