Bowl season has been going on for a couple of weeks now, but the early bowl matchups aren't as good as the ones around New Year's Day. Now that we are getting closer to that, we are starting to see some better bowl matchups. This Friday presents a good slate with multiple games between ranked teams. One of those bowl games that will be played is the Sun Bowl. The Sun Bowl will pit Notre Dame football up against Oregon State football. The Fighting Irish are coming into this game ranked #16 in the country, and the Beavers are coming in ranked #19.

This bowl game presents a very interesting matchup because of what is going on with each program, specifically Oregon State football. Both the Beavers and Notre Dame football will look a little bit different than they did during the regular season in the Sun Bowl, but before we get into that, let's take a look at how each of these teams got here.

Oregon State pretty much met their exact preseason expectations. The Beavers came into the season ranked #18, and now here they are before their bowl game, ranked #19 in the country. They didn't stay around this mark the entire season, though. Oregon State surged up in the rankings in late October and they almost cracked the top 10, but a tough loss against Arizona dropped them a bit. The Beavers were 8-2 going into their final two games of the season against Washington and Oregon. They had a chance to make their season look a lot different, but they dropped both of those games, and they fell down to #19 and received a bid to the Sun Bowl.

Notre Dame has had a pretty similar season. The Fighting Irish started the season ranked #13, and that also ended up being an accurate mark for this team as they finished ranked #16. Early in the season, however, it looked like Notre Dame had a chance to be a playoff team. They hosted #6 Ohio State for their biggest game of the season, and near the end of the game, it looked like Notre Dame was going to find a way to win. However, the Buckeyes scored on the last play of the game, and the Fighting Irish suffered a brutal loss. It was an up and down season after that, and they ended up finishing the regular season with a 9-3 record after losing to Louisville and Clemson.

Now, these two teams meet in the Sun Bowl, but they look a lot different than they did during the regular season. Notre Dame will not have quarterback Sam Hartman as he opted out, and Oregon State will be without their head coach, and their top two QBs. Because of that, this is going to be an interesting game. Here are three predictions for the Sun Bowl.

Steve Angeli with throw one touchdown pass

Notre Dame football will have Steve Angeli start in place on Sam Hartman, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against the Oregon State defense. The Fighting Irish have a great run game, so expect them to utilize that a lot in this game as they will be using a backup QB. Still, I expect Steve Angeli to have his moment and throw for a touchdown in this game. No more, and no less, he will throw one touchdown against the Beavers.

Jeremiyah Love will score a touchdown

Notre Dame has a good offensive line and a good run game, but they are dealing with some opt outs there as well. Star running back Audric Estime will not be playing as he has declared for the NFL Draft, and because of that, Jeremiyah Love is expected to have a bigger role in this game. With Notre Dame breaking in a new QB as well, I expect them to run the ball a lot, and Love should be able to find his way into the end zone at least one time.

Notre Dame will win by two scores

Both of these teams are going to be missing a lot of players, but Oregon State football will be especially shorthanded, and they won't even have their head coach. Jonathon Smith just took the Michigan State job, so Notre Dame is in a bit of a better boat than the Beavers are. Both of these teams are talented, but I see Notre Dame finding a way to pull away late and to win by two scores. It will be a good game.