SOUTH BEND — How did this happen? How did No. 15 Notre Dame football land in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl opposite No. 21 Oregon State? How do Irish fans get excited about this?

South Bend Tribune and NDinsider.com beat writers Tom Noie and Mike Berardino chat with equally surprised Sun Bowl Executive Director Bernie Olivas to scratch at those answers on this week's Pod of Gold podcast.

Kickoff on Friday, Dec. 29 is set for 2 p.m. It's the 90th Sun Bowl contest and second for the Irish, who topped Miami (Fla.) 33-17 on New Year's Eve 2010. The game also marks the third post-season matchup between Notre Dame and Oregon State, with the Beavers winning both the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and 2004 Insight Bowl — both in Phoenix — by a combined average score of 39.5-15.