No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 6 seed Penn State will face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night in the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. On the line is a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship as both programs are hunting for their first national title in almost 40 years.
This will be just the 20th meeting all-time between the two teams and the first since 2007. Penn State and Notre Dame did play every year from 1981-92, notably pitting legendary coaches Joe Paterno (Penn State) and Lou Holtz (Notre Dame) against one another. The current record sits at an even 9-9-1, so the result of Thursday's game will swing things in one team's favor.
Penn State has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new 12-team College Football Playoff format this season. The Nittany Lions hosted an overmatched SMU team in the first round and then played Boise State in the quarterfinal where they were able to lean on a significant talent advantage to secure a 31-14 victory. That's not to degrade what Penn State has accomplished this year; the Nittany Lions won 11 games in a tough Big Ten conference and pushed Oregon to the brink in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has put an inexplicable early season loss to Northern Illinois far in the rearview mirror by dominating just about every team that has stepped on the field against it since. That includes a pair of impressive playoff wins against Indiana and SEC champion Georgia.
Notre Dame vs. Penn State: Need to know
Big injuries to keep an eye on: Both teams involved have major injuries worth keeping an eye on as kickoff approaches. Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love re-aggravated a knee injury in Notre Dame's win against Georgia, and he was spotted wearing a bulky brace on his team's sideline. He's the Irish's leading rusher with 148 carries for 1,112 yards and 16 touchdowns on the year.
Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, was sidelined for three quarters against Boise State while dealing with an apparent arm/shoulder injury. A CBS Sports All-American, Carter has been one of the best defensive players in college football this season. Through 15 games, Carter has tallied 11 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and three pass deflections.
Tyler Warren worth watching: Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is one of the most exciting players in the nation, but the 2024 Mackey Award winner is so much more than a tight end. Penn State's offensive staff, spearheaded by coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, gets creative with him. Warren has lined up at tight end, wide receiver, slot receiver, quarterback, running back, fullback and even offensive line this season, and he's excelled at every spot. He's currently Penn State's leading receiver with 98 catches for 1,158 yards and eight touchdowns. He also has 197 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
Notre Dame's secondary up to the test: Notre Dame's secondary could have its hands full trying to cover a tight end like Warren, but the Irish certainly have the talent to match up. It starts with safety Xavier Watts, who runs well in space and has the ability to cover every level of the field. He's comfortable playing deep and near the box where he has impacted the run game multiple times in the College Football Playoff. His running mate, Adon Shuler, was the highest graded safety in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal round, according to Pro Football Focus. Those two will be key in stopping Warren and erasing Penn State's downfield passing game behind the strong arm of quarterback Drew Allar.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Penn State live
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium -- Miami, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. Penn State prediction, picks
It seems like, at some point, all of the injuries will catch up to Notre Dame. The Irish are in an especially precarious position if Love can't play given what he means to the offense. Yet, Notre Dame has more than made do with its lot as the Irish have continued carving a path of dominance all the way through the postseason against teams deemed by the selection committee as worthy of playing for a national championship. Notre Dame's played dominant along the lines of scrimmage, and it has a proven winner at quarterback in Riley Leonard, who has literally put his body on the line to keep his team's hopes alive. I'm not going to pick against the Irish at this point; they've shown no signs of slowing down. Pick: Notre Dame -2.5 (-105)
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