There are three playoff games remaining before the national champion for the 2024 college football season is determined – the first champion of the 12-team playoff era. Kicking off the semifinals is the sixth seed/No. 4 Penn State vs. seventh seed/No. 5 Notre Dame in the Capital One Orange Bowl, tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. The other semifinal game is fifth place/No. 3 Texas vs. eighth seed/No. 6 Ohio State on Friday, January 10th.

Looking for a live broadcast during the game? Click here: Notre Dame vs. Penn State LIVE: Updates, news, highlights for the 2025 CFP semifinals

With two outstanding rush attacks, this game could come down to who can rack up the most yards on the ground. Notre Dame couldn’t get much going in that area against Georgia, but in between Riley Leonards The Fighting Irish were able to defeat the Bulldogs 23-10 as their defense and special teams made plays. Good news for Notre Dame: their star rusher Jeremiyah love is “good to go” according to the head coach. Marcus Freeman after Love injured his knee against Georgia last week. Penn State has the better passer Drew Allarwhich will make for an interesting matchup with Notre Dame’s pass defense. Lucky for the Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter (11 sacks, 2 forced fumbles this season) is expected to play, although his decision will not be made until the game.

How did these teams get to Miami? Penn State is 13-2, having only lost in close matchups to two other playoff teams – Ohio State and Oregon. The Nittany Lions defeated SMU 38-10 at home in the first round of the playoffs and then topped Boise State 31-14 in the quarterfinals of the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame is 13-1, with the only blemish on its record being a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season. The Nittany Lions have since won 12 straight, including a first-round home win over Indiana (27-17) and a quarterfinal victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

This is the 20th meeting between these two programs, the last meeting being in September 2007 (more on that below). It’s the sixth Orange Bowl appearance for both teams, but while Penn State is 4-1, Notre Dame wasn’t as successful in Miami at 2-3.

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How to watch the Penn State vs. Notre Dame Orange Bowl CFP semifinal game

• Date: Tonight, Thursday, January 9th
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN
• Location: Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami, Florida)

READ MORE: How to watch Texas vs. Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl: start time, game preview, TV info for the CFP semifinals

Penn State vs. Notre Dame odds

*Odds courtesy of BetMGM

• Money line: Notre Dame (-120), Penn State (+100)
• Spread: Notre Dame -1.5
• Over/Under: 44.5

College Football Playoffs: Notre Dame vs. Penn State – prediction, odds, expert picks, QB matchup and trends

Penn State vs. Notre Dame head-to-head record

The Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish have faced each other 19 times. What makes this matchup a little more interesting is the fact that the series is tied 9-9-1 overall. The last meeting was in 2007 when Penn State won 31-10. From 1981 to 1992, these teams met each November for a rivalry game, but they have only played twice since then (2006 and 2007). This year, however, there will be no Snow Bowl like 1992 as the two teams will play in Miami – the southernmost major city in the US mainland.

Complete 2024-25 College Football Bowl Schedule, Results

College Football Playoff semifinal schedule

Thursday, January 9th

7:30 p.m. – Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinals) (ESPN)
6 Penn State vs. 7 Notre Dame

Friday, January 10th

7:30 p.m. – Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP semifinals) (ESPN)
5 Texas vs. 8 Ohio State

Penn State vs. Notre Dame game preview

Check out NBC Sports’ college football analysts Nicole Auerbach And Joshua Perry Cancel this game. For complete analysis and updates throughout the College Football Playoff, Listen and subscribe to Rushing the Field wherever you get your podcasts.