Notre Dame to the Hawaii Bowl (w/UPDATES)

UH will face Notre Dame in the Hawaii Bowl, according to the Advertiser:

Notre Dame will play the University of Hawaii football team in the Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, it was announced today.

People involved in the process said the NCAA has given its blessing to the matchup, the last hurdle to pairing the 7-6 Warriors and the 6-6 Irish.

Notre Dame made the Hawaii Bowl its preference over four other suitors Saturday.

And from the Star-Bulletin:

The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl didn't get a Pac-10 team as was earlier hoped for, but this might be even better.

Notre Dame was approved this afternoon by the NCAA to play in the Dec. 24 game against Hawaii.

UPDATE: Here's an article about it from the South Bend Tribune.

There were five bowls, whose contracted conference tie-ins weren’t satisfied, that showed an interest in the Irish. Initially, the Texas Bowl Dec. 30 in Houston was the heavy favorite. The bowl would have paired the Irish against offensive-happy Rice (9-3).

But the Hawaii bowl gained momentum in the final 48 hours before the bids went out. In the end, the undesirable proximity of its date to ND’s exam week (Dec. 15-19) was the lesser evil compared to the Texas Bowl being televised on the NFL Network, which would have left many Notre Dame fans without a way to watch the game.

Another plus in the Hawaii Bowl’s favor is the fact that Notre Dame’s top target in this recruiting cycle, linebacker Manti Te’o, just happens to play his high school ball in Honolulu.

Sounds like it'll be a great matchup. Good job by Hawaii Bowl director Dave Matlin for getting on this so early.

UPDATE 2: Here's a press release from the Hawaii Bowl website.

The University of Notre Dame has accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 SHERATON HAWAI‘I BOWL, Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl Executive Director David A. K. Matlin announced today. The Fighting Irish will meet the University of Hawai‘i, which accepted the SHERATON HAWAI'I BOWL invitation on Nov. 29.

"We are thrilled to have the University of Notre Dame in the 7th Annual SHERATON HAWAI‘I BOWL," Matlin said. "Notre Dame is a storied football tradition and we are honored to have both them and the University of Hawai‘i in our 2008 game."

Pete Derzis, ESPN Regional Television Vice President and General Manager, said, "to be able to attract Notre Dame as an at-large team in only our 7th year is a real testament to Hawai‘i being a world-class destination and the quality of our previous games. In addition the unique experiences we have provided for the student-athletes have played a big part in showcasing ourselves and the game."