Notre Dame-Penn State college football playoff pairings

There are only four teams left in the College Football Playoff, and the action is set to resume Thursday night. The first semifinal features some programs with a lot of history but little championship success in the four-team playoff era or its predecessor, the Bowl Championship Series. In fact, the Fighting Irish were last crowned national champions in 1988, and the Nittany Lions last won the title two years before that.

But while it’s safe to say both fan bases are more than a little hungry, all Rooters have to like what they’ve seen from their respective teams so far in the postseason. Notre Dame followed a dominant defensive performance against surging Indiana with another strong showing against an admittedly undermanned Georgia team, while Penn State dealt with an error-prone SMU and then overwhelmed Boise State to reach this round.

Here’s a closer look at today’s competition.

Time/TV/Location: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Miami Gardens, Florida.

Why watch: If you like tough, old-school football, this is the game for you. The Fighting Irish’s defense has been the team’s strength all season. She averaged just 13.6 points per game and tied for a national-best 31 takeaways. LB Jack Kiser and DB The unit will now turn its attention to the Nittany Lions’ stronger ground attack with RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State’s playcalling may have been too clever at times against Boise State, but QB Drew Allar will need some of those creative setups to work against the Notre Dame secondary. Having an all-purpose weapon like TE Tyler Warren helps, but the wide receivers also need to contribute. The same goes for the Irish when they have the ball, as they relied heavily on QB Riley Leonard to make the right throws on short throws and goalies. Speedy RB Jeremiyah Love suffered a knee injury against Georgia but is expected to play. RB Jadarian Price can also help Leonard with ground support, but he also needs WRs Beaux Collins or Jordan Faison to stretch the field. The Nittany Lions may be without top pass rusher Abdul Carter, who apparently suffered an arm injury last week, but there are other playmakers like DB Jaylen Reed and LB Kobe King on that side of the ball that Leonard is worried about have to do.

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Notre Dame-Penn State college football playoff pairings

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