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[This was originally written before ND accepted the bid and before Rutgers beat out Houston for the other slot.]
Friday evening it was reported by CBS Sports that Notre Dame has accepted a bid to play in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
Notre Dame is headed to the Pinstripe Bowl, per source. Irish informed appropriate parties
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerCBS) December 6, 2013
As of late Saturday night an official announcement hasn't been made by the University however an announcement is expected to be made soon.
#NotreDame spokesman could not confirm Pinstripe Bowl report and says the earliest ND would announce anything bowl-related is Saturday.
— Andrew Owens (@BGI_AndrewOwens) December 6, 2013
The deal isn't done yet...
Pinstripe Bowl may not be as done of a deal as being reported by others. I'm told Irish aren't making final decision until the morning.
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) December 7, 2013
One Notre Dame source told me that the Pinstripe Bowl is not the only bowl the Irish are still talking to at this time.
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) December 7, 2013
Doesn't mean ND isn't going to end up in the Pinstripe Bowl. It's the likely destination just that its not done done just yet it appears.
— Angelo Di Carlo (@angdicarlowndu) December 7, 2013
...but if you're interested in watching the Irish you are probably wise to start scoping out some tickets to the Pinstripe Bowl.
The Pinstripe Bowl is played at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York and has a payout of $1.8 million, although the pot may have been sweetened to keep the Irish in NYC instead of seeking a warmer bowl in San Diego or elsewhere.
The bowl pits the No. 7 pick from the Big 12 versus the No. 4 pick from the American Athletic Conference. Since there are only 6 bowl eligible teams from the Big 12 it will be Notre Dame taking their slot.
As of right now, it is projected that Notre Dame will play the Houston Cougars (8-4) who have had a pretty decent season with all of their losses by a combined 20 points, however, if Rutgers (5-6) wins on Saturday against USF the bowl may select the local Scarlet Knights for a more fan-friendly matchup. [It's Rutgers.]
The Pinstripe Bowl will be played on Saturday, December 28th with kickoff at 12:15 ET.