Notre Dame headed to Hawaii Bowl to face Warriors

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis will make his third trip this year to Hawaii. He's bringing his team with him this time - and he'll spend the night, too.

The Fighting Irish (6-6) on Sunday accepted an invitation to play in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve against the hometown Warriors (7-6).

The Irish will be out to end their NCAA-record nine-game bowl losing streak.

Weis made two quick recruiting trips earlier this year to Hawaii without ever spending the night. The first was back in mid-October, during Notre Dame's bye week, and the second was last week, while waiting to see if athletic director Jack Swarbrick would bring him back for a fifth season as Irish coach.

Both trips were to try to recruit linebacker Manti Te'o, one of the nation's top-rated recruits. Te'o attends Punahou School, the same school where Barack Obama attended junior high and high school.

Notre Dame planned to hold a news conference Monday about the bowl selection, but Weis released a statement Sunday night saying the team was excited about playing in the Hawaii Bowl.

"This is a great opportunity for our team to face a quality opponent in their backyard and we'll need to be ready," he said. "I know the extra practices this month will really benefit our team and we look forward to ending this season on a good note."

After the Irish started the season 4-1, they won just two of their last seven games, and lost their last two. The finish, especially the embarrassing 24-23 loss to Syracuse and a 38-3 loss to USC, sparked speculation that Weis might not return despite having seven years left on his 10-year contract. Swarbrick met with Weis last Tuesday in San Jose, Calif., and the two agreed some changes need to be made, but neither would specify what they were.

The Irish have played in Hawaii three times before. The Irish played in the 1984 Aloha Bowl, losing 27-20 to SMU. The Irish also traveled to Hawaii to play the Warriors twice, beating them 48-42 in 1991 and 23-22 in 1997.

The Hawaii Bowl was cleared to invite the Irish after Arizona beat Arizona State 31-10 on Saturday, leaving the Sun Devils ineligible for a bowl berth and the Pac-10 unable to fill all its bowl affiliations.

David Matlin, the Hawaii Bowl executive director, said the bowl is "thrilled" to have Notre Dame.

"Notre Dame is a storied football tradition and we are honored to have both them and the University of Hawaii in our 2008 game," he said.