MIAMI –

Two top college football programs face off and a trip to the National Championship is on the line.

Much of the Susquehanna Valley will be glued to their televisions Thursday night to watch Penn State take on Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

The story is a big one surrounding Thursday’s game against the Fighting Irish.

In their first matchup since 2007, 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 have met in a bowl game, the last being the 1976 Gator Bowl, which was won by Notre Dame.

Speaking of the 2007 game, Penn State won that match in Happy Valley 31-10.

The bowl itself is remarkable.

The Nittany Lions will be making their sixth Orange Bowl appearance and have a 4-1 record in their last five games.

Both head coaches know that their fan base is hungry to win and that their teams must give everything they have to emerge victorious.

“Ultimately it’s about Penn State and it’s about Notre Dame and our teams going out and competing and representing our schools, our conferences, so our conference and college football,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said.

“I’m looking forward to a great opportunity tomorrow night against an extremely good football team. As Coach Franklin said, I have a lot of respect for him and the work he has done in college football and this football team. It’s a very good job that we did.” “I have to continue to prepare for it,” said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.

Fans will begin to fill the seats at Hard Rock Stadium as we get closer to kickoff.