The other half of the matchup would consist of either Notre Dame or the first selection from the Big East Conference after that conference 's automatic BCS bid . Because Notre Dame was selected to play in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl , a BCS game , the Gator Bowl Association was required to select the Big East 's Louisville Cardinals , which , like Virginia Tech , finished second in their conference
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
2006 Gator Bowl