SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame's large fan base, storied past and turnaround season under first-year coach Tyrone Willingham were not good enough to gain a berth Sunday in the lucrative Bowl Championship Series.

The No. 11 Irish (10-2) settled for an invitation to play No. 17 North Carolina State (10-3) in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 with its $1.6 million payout after being passed over by the BCS with its payout of up to $13 million.

Notre Dame's last shot at earning a BCS berth ended when Washington State beat UCLA 48-27 on Saturday. That win meant USC, which beat the Irish 44-13 on Nov. 30, was out of the Rose Bowl. But the Trojans were guaranteed an at-large BCS berth because they finished ranked No. 4 in the final BCS standings.

Iowa (11-1), No. 5 in the BCS standings, was the other at-large selection, joining six conference champions who were automatic qualifiers for BCS games.

The Wolfpack accepted an invitation to the Gator Bowl on Nov. 26 after beating Florida State 17-7.

Under Willingham, the Irish doubled their win total from a year ago. Notre Dame also beat four ranked teams this year.

The Irish will go for their first bowl win and first top-10 finish since ending the 1993 season No. 2 after beating No. 7 Texas 24-21 on Jan. 1, 1994, at the Cotton Bowl.

The Irish already have defeated two ACC bowl-bound teams this season. They beat Maryland 22-0 in the season-opening Kickoff Classic on Aug. 31 and defeated Florida State 34-24 on Oct. 26. The bowl game, to be played in Jacksonville, Fla., will be Notre Dame's first against N.C. State.