Sun Bowl, Notre Dame Vs. Miami: Hurricanes Leave Randy Shannon Behind

The beauty of 99 percent of the bowls during the college football postseason is that, in the grand scheme of things, they don’t matter much. Sure, the national championship is big and some games have sentimental value to the teams involved, but these games don’t mean a lot to the public, for the most part. In the Sun Bowl, Notre Dame and Miami, each at 7-5, hit the field playing for different reasons.

Miami plays its first game without Randy Shannon in the Sun Bowl. Al Golden has been hired, but won’t be coaching due to a fun dance with NCAA rules. Still, Golden will be watching closely as his Hurricanes take-on Notre Dame. On the other side of the field, Brian Kelly endured a tumultuous year and is looking to end on a high note. From losses to Tulsa and Navy to the death of a video coordinator under his watch, calling 2010 an up-and-down year for Kelly would be an understatement.

Rakes of Mallow, SB Nation’s Notre Dame blog, asks the question on the minds of the public during bowl season: who even wants to be in a bowl? The game, they say, may come down to which team actually bothered to care about the Sun Bowl this year.

On Miami’s side, I don’t know. They just lost their head coach, but they weren’t spurned by the old guy (think West Virginia taking its anger over RichRod out on Oklahoma) nor does a beloved interim coach have a chance of taking over (Bo Pelini’s Nebraska wailing on Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl, or that same WVU team). The new guy is already picked, but he’s not there yet. They started the season ranked, but they ended with a loss to little brother South Florida in a sparsely attended home game. On top of all of that, it’s likely going to be sort of cold for them, whereas 40 degrees is going to seem downright balmy for the Irish. But then again, when is the last time a team wasn’t jazzed for a chance to knock off Notre Dame?

Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with Notre Dame fans at SB Nation’s Rakes Of Mallow and Miami fans at Seventh Floor Blog. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.