WHEELING – The main course of college football bowls will be served up, beginning today. The appetizers have been cleared from the table, setting the stage for the playoff semifinals.

And while the Clemson-Oklahoma and Alabama-Michigan State semis are the Holy Grail for most of the nation, a majority of Ohio Valley fans will have their collective eyes fixated on the state of Arizona.

The Fiesta Bowl captivates much of the local fan base as the New Year’s Day game pits The Ohio State University against Notre Dame. The two storied programs square off at 1 p.m. in Glendale.

One night later, local grid junkies will be treated to some bowl game dessert as WVU and Arizona State meet in the Cactus Bowl. The Phoenix-based contest will kick off at 10:15 p.m.

The Cactus Bowl is an opportunity for the Mountaineers to put a positive finish on a season that was otherwise mediocre at best. The ‘Eers muddled through a roller-coaster 7-5 campaign, one in which they were a tough nut to crack at home while being inept on the road.

Dana Holgorsen’s squad fumbled away what would have been a fine 9-3 finish if not for an overtime homecoming loss in Morgantown to Oklahoma State and a one-point loss at Kansas State in the regular-season finale.

If WVU could have come away with wins in those two games, the Mountaineer Nation would be feeling much better about Holgorson and the state of the program.

Nine wins would have propelled the ‘Eers to a much more high profile bowl than the Cactus Bowl. Moreover, recruiting would be more galvanized and Holgorson’s future in Morgantown would be more stable.

WVU will be facing an Arizona State team that limped to a 6-6 finish. The Sun Devils lost four of their final six games. They are coached by former Pitt head boss Todd Graham.

Arizona State has one advantage – playing close to home. WVU partisans travel well, however, so that Sun Devil edge will be minimal at best.

I look for a 31-17 WVU win, serving as a catalyst for a more successful 2016 grid season in Morgantown.

Ohio State and Notre Dame both flirted with playoff berths. The Buckeyes were denied a chance to repeat as national champions by Michigan State while Notre Dame’s playoff dreams were ended by a last-second field goal at Stanford.

The Buckeyes never blossomed into the team most expected this year, save for the finale at Michigan.

The quarterback soap opera featuring Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett proved a distraction until the Buckeyes’ beatdown of the Wolverines. That is a situation that goes away next year as Jones is expected to enter the NFL Draft.

In addition to the home loss to Sparty, Ohio State dodged a couple of bullets against Northern Illinois and Indiana, both one-touchdown wins for the Scarlet and Gray.

Notre Dame, conversely, overachieved this season. The Fighting Irish’s only other blemish was a 2-point loss at No. 1-ranked Clemson in monsoon-like conditions.

Coach Brian Kelly’s charges excelled despite a physical carnage. Some dozen Irish starters were lost for the season due to injuries, including their starting quarterback in the season opener. Moreover, three running backs were felled and shelved.

This game takes on added significance for Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes’ boss coached five seasons at Notre Dame, hired by Lou Holtz while coaching the final four under Bob Davie. His time at South Bend proved the launching pad for his head coaching career, going to Bowling Green, Utah and Florida.

The Buckeyes and Irish are stocked with pro-caliber talent. Each will also lose a lot in the NFL draft. Both, however, will again be loaded next year, entertaining thoughts of a possible national championship

I look for a 34-23 Ohio State triumph.

In the national semifinal games, I am picking Oklahoma and Alabama to advance with the Sooners taking home the title.

Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleader.com.