TaxSlayer Gator Bowl's Notre Dame-South Carolina matchup getting positive national media chatter

The TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup between No. 19 South Carolina and No. 21 Notre Dame on Dec. 30 at TIAA Bank Field (3:30 p.m., ESPN) has made some national waves since bowl selection day on Sunday.

Numerous media outlets and websites have ranked the game between the two 8-4 teams among the top matchups of bowl season — ahead, in some cases, of New Year's Six games.

There are several reasons why the game has captured interest on a national level.

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For one thing, Notre Dame is playing. That always commands attention.

The two teams haven't played each other since 1984. The Irish last played in the Gator Bowl in 2003 (they played Navy here in 2016) and the Gamecocks last appeared in 1987, so there's some novelty there.

Some of the sites and publications would have rated the game higher had Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne not decided to enter the transfer portal. South Carolina also lost tight end Jaheim Bell, who played at Valdosta High, to the portal.

But Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler, who threw half of his touchdown passes this season in the final two regular-season victories over Tennessee and Clemson, has gone on record as saying he's playing.

Here's how the game is ranked. There will be more publications coming out with their rankings but at the moment, here is a sampling:

Big Game Boomer: No. 2

This is a 24/7 college football podcast/YouTube show that ranked only the Peach Bowl between Georgia and Ohio State ahead of the Gator Bowl. The author didn't list the reasons for his picks but obviously likes this game.

College Football News: No. 4

Comment by Pete Fiutak: "I know Notre Dame was thinking bigger this bowl season, but Utah beating USC screwed that up. It doesn’t matter. South Carolina will be plenty difficult to deal with ... the proverbial “team no one wants to face” late in the season as it lit up Tennessee and at least late – Clemson. Spencer Rattler is playing in the bowl game, the Irish should be close to full, GAME ON. It might not be the most important bowl game around, but it might be as close to a regular season battle as it gets before the New Year’s Six."

Sporting News "top-10 non-CFP bowls:" No. 6

Comment by Bill Bender: "The Lou Holtz Bowl. Every bowl season features a matchup with two “it” teams for the following season. This is all of that. The Gamecocks closed the season with huge victories against Tennessee and Clemson, and for second-year coach Shane Beamer to cap that off against Notre Dame would be huge. Marcus Freeman also is a year behind, and Drew Pyne is in the transfer portal. What will the Irish do at quarterback?"

247Sports "Must-watch bowls:" No. 6

Comment by Brad Crawford: "These are both top-25 teams and South Carolina ended the season as the hottest program in the nation outside of the playoff invites. The Gamecocks are coming off back-to-back wins over top-10 competition for the first time in program history.

SI "Bowl Watchability Rankings:" No. 8

Comment by Ross Dellenger: "Watch it because the Gamecocks and quarterback Spencer Rattler have been on a recent tear. Will it continue against the Irish?"

Washington Post: No. 10

Comment by Patrick Stevens: "The Irish will be down their starting quarterback after Drew Pyne opted to transfer. South Carolina derailed the playoff hopes of both Tennessee and Clemson and can add a victory over another storied program to cap Shane Beamer’s second season in Columbia."

Yahoo Sports: No. 10

Comment: "Tyler Buchner was ND's starter [at quarterback] when the season began and there are reports that he could be healthy enough for a return from his early-season shoulder injury. On the other side is Spencer Rattler, who had his two best games of the season in wins over Tennessee and Clemson, throwing for eight combined touchdowns. Notre Dame won five of its last six while those two upsets have propelled South Carolina into the postseason. Both of these teams will play hard."

Athlon Sports: No. 11

Comment by Steve Lassan: "South Carolina was arguably one of the hottest teams in the nation at the end of the regular season thanks to wins over Tennessee and Clemson. Although the Gamecocks will have a different play-caller after Marcus Satterfield left for Nebraska, the offense should be able to keep things rolling. Notre Dame's defense (21.8 points a game) and rushing attack (182.8 yards a game) will have to carry this team considering the uncertainty at quarterback."

Fox Sports: No. 12

Comment by Bryan Fischer: "The Gamecocks ended the year on an absolute heater and largely helped impact the College Football Playoff with their wins over Tennessee and Clemson. Spencer Rattler would love to continue making big throws against a big-name opponent and has a big stage to do so. The Irish were a CFB Jekyll/Hyde this season ... [coach] Marcus Freeman would love a bit of momentum going into the offseason and knocking off a top-20 foe will go a long way."

CBSsports.com: No. 22

Comment by Tom Fornelli: "So why am I ranking this game so low? Well, Notre Dame starting QB Drew Pyne is in the transfer portal, and he began the season as the backup. We could also see other draft prospects in this game opt-out, which hurts the potential. I won't be surprised if it's close, but I can't count on it being exciting."

Jeez, Tom ... ranking this game behind the Arizona, Duke's, Fenway and L.A. Bowls?

There's always one buzz killer in the bunch.

Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @GSmitter.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl's Irish-Gamecocks match getting positive national media chatter