Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons to watch Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

1. You’ll see the head coaching debut of Marcus Freeman

Marcus Freeman is making his debut as the head coach of Notre Dame in this bowl game against Oklahoma State.

Freeman has been regarded as one of the smartest hires during this year’s coaching carousel and has the potential to be the head coach at Notre Dame for a long time.

How will Freeman, the former defensive coordinator, look as the game manager in his first outing as the head coach?

It’s not unprecedented for a new coach to coach in his team’s bowl game, but Freeman was already part of this team all year long.

However, no one would blame him if he wanted until the first game of next season to make his debut. Fans are going to put Freeman under the microscope after the game, unfairly so.

If Notre Dame wins the game, fans will overreact that he’s exactly what the Irish need. If the team loses, fans will overreact that he was the wrong hire. The fact that Freeman is unafraid of the noise this game will generate speaks volumes to the competitor he is and the confidence he has to lead this program into a new era.

Notre Dame and Oklahoma State will kick off the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.