Notre Dame had hoped to prove those people wrong, who said it didn't deserve to be in a major bowl after a 6-4-1 regular season.

It all added up to a poor performance at the worst time, when the Irish had hoped to sew up a major bowl berth.

In the minds of many fans, the Fiesta replaced the Cotton as a major bowl.

"We can't win a conference championship and go to a major bowl," he said.

"It would lead to a major bowl," said linebacker Tom McManus, "and that's what we want."

And as for some other major bowl, you know Notre Dame has a headlock on a bid.

This significantly increased the Fiesta Bowl's prestige, to the point that it was now considered a major bowl by many fans and pundits.

The Orangemen are 13-10 the past two seasons and have not been to a major bowl since the 1998 season.

A major bowl, on the other hand, is not guaranteed now.

Florida is headed for a major bowl, too.