After two weeks of hearing rumors about the possibility of playing in the Rose Bowl, LSU fans found themselves scrambling to make new plans on Sunday night.

LSU coaches and players, however, weren't exactly upset about their real bowl destination.

Instead of a trip out west to the Rose Bowl, the fourth-ranked Tigers (10-2) will be playing about an hour away in the Louisiana Superdome when they take on No. 11 Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 3.

Either way, it's a BSC Bowl, and that's what really counts right now for the Tigers.

"Not at all," LSU coach Les Miles said when asked if there was any disappointment about not playing in the Rose Bowl. "You have to understand, when you have 42,000 in pre-sale tickets from our fans into a venue like the Rose Bowl, it increases the prestige of this program.

"Everybody understands that our fans always travel well and any bowl game that gets us will have a great number of LSU fans, and I was so proud in seeing the 42,000 fans willing to go to the Rose Bowl. I just felt like 'Wow,' that shows how powerful this fan base can be."

Instead, those fans will fill the Superdome and give the Tigers a distinct home-field advantage.

"Not the Rose bowl, but the Sugar Bowl is the next best thing," receiver Dwayne Bowe said. "We are happy to be there. For me, I came as a freshman and played in the Sugar Bowl, and now as a senior I will leave with the Sugar Bowl. It is a great feeling."

It's also a matchup with national appeal for both teams, especially with Louisiana's significant Catholic population.

"I believe our players are looking forward to this game," Miles said. "You want to celebrate a great season with a quality opponent, and Notre Dame is just that. Anyway you cut it, Notre Dame is a great team. They only lost two games, which were to two highly ranked teams, and they have great tradition. They have great history, and it should be a tremendous matchup."

  TURNING POINT: After losing on the road at Auburn and Florida, LSU found itself in a similar situation at Tennessee on Nov. 4. The Tigers responded by rallying for a last-minute touchdown and a 28-24 win. They finished the regular season with six consecutive wins and a 10-2 record.

  BOWL HISTORY: All-time record -- 18-18-1; Last bowl appearance -- Peach Bowl, 2005, vs. Miami; won 40-3.

  MATCHUP TO WATCH: LSU QB JaMarcus Russell and WRs Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and Early Doucet against Notre Dame's secondary -- Notre Dame struggled to stop USC and Michigan's playmakers in the passing game and faces a similar challenge from LSU's offensive playmakers.

  PRO PROSPECTS: FS LaRon Landry -- Landry, a four-year starter, is generally regarded as one of the two or three best free safeties in the draft and is regarded as a potential first-round pick. Landry has the combination of size, speed and instincts to be a standout at the next level.

WR Dwayne Bowe -- He had some problems with drops in 2005 and sought help for vision correction. Once he took care of that he became a more solid, consistent receiver with 60 receptions and 11 TD catches this season. At 6-2, 220 pounds, Bowe is seen as one of the top five senior receivers in the draft and a likely second-round pick.

WR Craig Davis -- He isn't as physically impressive as Bowe, but Davis is a tough player and a tireless worker who learns quickly and does whatever he needs to do to get the job done. That should help him go as high as the third or fourth round.

SS Jessie Daniels -- Like Landry, he's a four-year starter. Unlike Landry, he's something of a one-dimensional player. He's a hitter against the run but often struggles in coverage, a concern that could drop him to the later rounds.

DE Chase Pittman -- A big-time prep prospect who got off to a slow start in college and later transferred from Texas to LSU, Pittman's stock is on the rise again. At 6-4, 272 pounds with a 4.84 time in the 40, he's now seen as a potential fourth-round pick.

  QUOTE TO NOTE: "I personally feel the BCS made the right decision with the national championship game. The SEC champion should be playing for the national championship. I hope in years to come we will be in a similar situation. I think this is a step forward from what we had in the past where there was an undefeated Auburn team that didn't get to play in the national championship. I feel this is a step in the right direction." -- LSU coach Les Miles.

  GAME SNAPSHOT: LSU vs. Notre Dame, Sugar Bowl, New Orleans, Jan. 3 -- Despite two losses each, LSU and Notre Dame both earned spots in a BCS bowl that should have plenty of national appeal, especially with the presence of two super quarterbacks and their talented receivers. LSU will play in the Sugar Bowl for a school-record 13th time. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 5-4, dating to 1970, but the two teams haven't played since 1998, when Notre Dame won 39-26 at home. They also played in the Independence Bowl in 1997, LSU winning 23-9.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: For all the attention on one of the nation's top defenses, LSU's offense has also emerged as one of the nation's best, especially since the Tigers started doing a better job of running the ball down the stretch. The Tigers enter their bowl game ranked 11th in nation in scoring and 18th in total offense with 33.08 points and 404 yards per game. The combination of QB JaMarcus Russell and WRs Dwayne Bowe, Craig Davis and Early Doucet give the Tigers some dangerous weapons.

  SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Tigers have stood tall among the nation's best defenses all season and enter the bowl game ranked sixth in scoring defense, second in total defense, third in pass efficiency defense and 15th against the run, allowing 12.5 points, 238 total yards and 93 rushing yards per game. They also lead the SEC with 30 sacks. The Tigers are especially tough up front and in the secondary, led by DT Glenn Dorsey and FS LaRon Landry.

  SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: K Colt David and P Chris Jackson have been solid this season, but neither one is much of an all-conference candidate. The Tigers have blocked two kicks, but the real difference-makers have been in the return game with Craig Davis and Trindon Holliday both returning kicks for touchdowns late in the season.

COACHING EDGE: Both coaches, Notre Dame's Charlie Weis and LSU's Les Miles, are in their second year at their respective programs. The difference between the two is that Miles has won more of his key games, going 8-4 against Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Miami, while Weis is 2-4 against Michigan, USC, Tennessee and Ohio State. LSU won its first bowl under Miles last year by dominating Miami 40-3 while Notre Dame lost its first bowl under Weis, losing 34-20 to Ohio State.

  INTANGIBLES: While LSU has won seven of its past nine bowl games, including last year's decisive win over Miami in the Peach Bowl, Notre Dame has lost eight consecutive bowl games by an average score of 16.5 points per game. The Tigers finished strong with six consecutive victories, including a 31-26 win at Arkansas, while Notre Dame ended its regular season with a 44-24 loss at USC.

  PREDICTED OUTCOME: LSU 31, Notre Dame 17 -- Notre Dame has struggled defensively against teams with outstanding offensive skill players, and that won't change in this game. LSU's overall defensive speed and offensive playmakers, like those of Michigan and USC, will be too much for the Fighting Irish.

  ROSTER REPORT: The Tigers are still running the ball by committee, but TB Keiland Williams, a true freshman, ran 13 times for 68 yards to lead the Tigers against Arkansas and has averaged 67 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry with three touchdowns over his past three games.

LB Ali Highsmith suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter against Arkansas and did not return, but rest and rehab should have him ready for the bowl game.