Notre Dame Football: 3 bowl game possibilities for the Irish in 2017

Notre Dame football’s hopes of a New Year’s Six bowl game took a hit after their Week 13 loss to Stanford, but there are still a few games available that would help encapsulate a strong rebound season for the Irish.

For all intensive purposes, there are only two realistic bowl games for the Irish this year, but they are technically in the running for three. With Notre Dame renewing its agreement with the ACC through 2037, the Irish will be able to stake their claim in ACC tie-in games, providing a greater slate of games than they would typically enjoy as an independent.

Regardless of whether or not they admit it, head coach Brian Kelly and his Irish will likely be doing their fair share of scoreboard watching this Saturday. One game in particular stands out, and that game would be the highly anticipated Big Ten championship between No. 8 Ohio State and No. 3 Wisconsin. We’ll get into exactly why that game affects the Irish’s bowl game possibilities in a minute.

It has been a disappointing ending to what appeared to be a very promising start for the Irish, but there is still one more game to be played. Every late-season loss is another nail in Kelly’s coffin, so here’s a look at who and where he might have his team playing within the coming weeks.