Bounce back teams South Carolina, Notre Dame to Gator Bowl

The Associated Press

Bounce back teams in No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 20 South Carolina will play in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 30. There were points earlier in the season when neither program was projected for the postseason. The Fighting Irish started the season 3-3 with home losses to Marshall and Stanford. The Gamecocks were 1-2 after blowout defeats to Arkansas and Georgia. But both teams rallied down the stretch. Notre Dame won five of its last six, while South Carolina won three of its last four including stunning defeats of Top-10 opponents Tennessee and rival Clemson.