Notre Dame is in the Hawaii Bowl

Excited about the matchup with Notre Dame, JD said:
"We're excited to be playing a program that has such a storied tradition in college football." (HA)

"Notre Dame has a huge national following and the visibility will be good for our program, our school and our state." (HA)

About facing Notre Dame, Mac said:
"They're all about tradition. It'll be exciting for everybody involved." (HSB)

"I'm really excited. This is one of the big-time teams in college football. This is Knute Rockne, Touchdown Jesus and the Four Horsemen. It's one of the top names in the game. They travel well, it'll help the bowl and it'll help the economy." (HSB)

Looking forward to the Hawaii Bowl, Charlie Weis said:
"We're very excited about heading out west to play in the (Hawai'i) Bowl. This is a great opportunity for our team to face a quality opponent in their backyard and we'll need to be ready." (HA)

"We're very excited about heading out west to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. This is a great opportunity for our team to face a quality opponent in their backyard and we'll need to be ready. I know the extra practices this month will really benefit our team and we look forward to ending this season on a good note." (HSB)

HA Note: "The most-watched of the previous six Hawai'i Bowls was the 2006 UH-Arizona State game, which drew 2.3 million households. People in the television industry see the potential for nearly double that because of Notre Dame's presence. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN, and will be the only college football game that day."

About the big audience expected for the Hawaii Bowl, WAC Commisioner Karl Benson said:
"Notre Dame is a high-profile team that demands fan and media attention, and getting the Irish is a great coup for (bowl officials) Pete Derzis and David Matlin." (HA)

About how they worked hard for a long time to try to get Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl, Matlin said:
"a lot had to happen" (HA)

Matlin said that the process of getting Notre Dame was similar to a:
"root canal." (HA)

HA Note: "The Irish were stunned by 3-9 Syracuse, 24-23, removing them from consideration from the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. Notre Dame's 38-3 loss to Southern California coupled with Louisville's 63-14 loss to Rutgers opened the way for Pittsburgh to represent the Big East in the Brut Sun Bowl instead of the Irish. Then, the Pac-10 was able to field only five bowl-eligible teams because Stanford, UCLA and Arizona State all suffered crucial late losses and were unable to get to 6-6."

About the Hawaii Bowl, Derzis said:
"We believe our game offers a world-class destination and an experience that the schools and their players will value. We've gotten six years of wonderful feedback from teams that have been here." (HA)

HA Note: "To get Notre Dame, the Hawai'i Bowl reportedly agreed to work around the school's late final exam schedule, which runs to Dec. 19. Traditionally, the game has asked its teams to be in town nearly a week before the game. Indications are the Irish will be here Dec. 20."

About letting Notre Dame get into town later because of their final exam schedule, Matlin said:
"We're doing what we can to accommodate them any way we can." (HA)

HA Note: "The financial investment for Notre Dame is "not inconsiderable," Heisler said, and is expected to result in a net loss for the Fighting Irish to play in the Hawai'i Bowl. The Pac-10 and C-USA have said they have underwritten appearances by their teams in the past."

About the chance to play Notre Dame, Adam Leonard said:
"With the tradition they have, everybody knows about Notre Dame. It's just unbelievable and I'm thrilled for the opportunity." (HSB)

About how the Notre Dame news got him over the Cincinnati loss, Mac said:
"I usually give 48 hours to get over a ballgame. That just put me right past the bad feelings about that game and on to the next." (HSB)

About getting Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl, Matlin said:
"Notre Dame is a storied football tradition and getting them is a huge statement. We're blessed in that a lot of things lined up for this to be possible. ... It's a thrilling day for me personally and I'm grateful to so many people who helped put us in this position from (former executive director and current UH athletic director) Jim Donovan to (ESPN's) Pete Derzis to Hugh Yoshida." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The Fighting Irish will be looking to win their first bowl game since 1993, having lost nine straight postseason games since beating Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl."