The game was sponsored by recreational vehicle company Camping World.
The game matched the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, an FBS independent and the Iowa State Cyclones from the Big 12 Conference.
[6] Notre Dame entered the game with a 10–2 record, ranked 14th in the AP Poll.
The Fighting Irish split their four games against ranked teams, defeating Virginia and Navy while losing to Georgia and Michigan.
They played three ranked FBS teams during the regular season, defeating Texas while losing to Iowa and Oklahoma.