Two historic programs will meet in the semifinals of the 2025 College Football Playoff: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face the Penn State Nittany Lions, with the winner just one win away from hoisting the national champion trophy.

In their first matchup since 2007, quarterback Riley Leonard brings the Irish to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida to face them Drew Allar and Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

The Nittany Lions will look to defeat one of the hottest teams in college football, a Notre Dame team led by their head coach Marcus Freeman which has won 12 straight games and is seeking its first national championship since 1988.

Here’s what you need to know to prepare for this CFP matchup: Notre Dame vs. Penn State head-to-head record, history between these two programs, coaching duel, analysis and more.

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Head-to-head record between Notre Dame and Penn State

Penn State and Notre Dame face off for the 20th time in program history, with the series tied at 9-9-1. This is only the second time the two teams will face each other in a bowl game. Their only bowl meeting came in the 1976 Gator Bowl – a 20-9 Notre Dame victory.

In 2007, Penn State defeated Notre Dame 31-10, a game in which the Fighting Irish had zero rushing yards on 26 attempts and just 144 total yards in State College.

Notre Dame, Penn State Orange Bowl history

The Nittany Lions will be making their sixth Orange Bowl appearance and have a 4-1 record in their last five games. The Fighting Irish are hoping for some luck in their sixth appearance in the Orange Bowl, as they are currently 2-3 in their last five games.

Penn State’s path to the CFP semifinals

NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach breaks down how Penn State fared en route to the CFP semifinals, but this matchup with Notre Dame will be the Nittany Lions’ toughest test yet.

Penn State has made it through the College Football Playoff so far. Here comes the hard part.

James Franklin finally has the opportunity to change the narrative around his program. But to do that he has to win a big game.

Notre Dame vs. Penn State coaching matchup

Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame)

• Third full season as head coach

• 32-9 record as Notre Dame’s head coach, including 10 wins in 2023 and 13 wins in 2024

• 4-1 record in postseason games, including wins in:

• 2022 Gator Bowl (45-38 vs. South Carolina)

• 2023 Sun Bowl (40-8 vs. Oregon State)

• CFP 2024 First Round (27-17 vs. Indiana)

• 2024 Sugar Bowl/CFP Quarterfinals (23-10 vs. Georgia)

• Prior to becoming HC, Freeman served as DC/Linebackers coach in 2021-22

James Franklin (Penn State)

• 11th season as head coach

• 101-41 record as Penn State’s head coach, including 10 wins in 2023 and 13 wins in 2024

• A Big Ten championship in 2016

• Five New Year’s Eve-Six bowl game appearances with three wins

• Six top-12 finishes in the final College Football Playoff rankings in the last eight seasons

Freeman and Franklin have never faced each other as head coaches.

NBC Sports’ Patricia Duffy breaks down everything you need to know ahead of the first CFP semifinal game between Notre Dame and Penn State, where a spot in the National Championship is on the line.

How to watch Penn State vs. Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl: start time, game preview, TV info for the CFP semifinals

Penn State and Notre Dame meet in Miami to decide who gets a chance to play for the national title.

When was the last time Notre Dame won the National Championship?

Notre Dame is one of the most successful programs in college football history with 13 national championships, and its last title came in 1988 when the Fighting Irish defeated West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back, staving off a second-half surge from the Mountaineers to secure their first title since 1977.

When was the last time Penn State won the National Championship?

Penn State has won two national championships, most recently in 1986 with a 14-10 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, completing an undefeated 12-0 season.

CFP Championship History

*Note: Ohio State won the 2014 CFP National Championship with a 42-20 victory over Oregon.

Notre Dame vs. Penn State History: 1992 Snow Bowl

A clash of college football titans. The end of an era. On the 30th anniversary, Jon Paul Morosi looks back on one of the most legendary games in Notre Dame Stadium history: the Snow Bowl between the Irish and Penn State.

Here come the Irish

Watch the Notre Dame football documentary Here come the Irishan in-depth look at the Notre Dame football team, exploring their lives on and off the field through intense training sessions and personal stories.

Subscribe to Peacock today and enjoy all six episodes of the first season!