Who Notre Dame will play after winning the Sugar Bowl

The final spot in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff is secured.

And it belongs to No. 7 Notre Dame.

The Irish defeated the Bulldogs 23-10 on Thursday in the 2025 Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome, a day after the game was postponed due to the early Wednesday morning attack in New Orleans that left 15 people dead and more than 30 injured.

Required reading:Sugar Bowl final result: Notre Dame upsets Georgia to advance to CFP semifinals

Notre Dame won’t have much time to reflect on its win on Thursday as it has a week to prepare for its CFP semifinal game against No. 6 Penn State.

The Irish’s defense carried Marcus Freeman’s squad to the next round of the CFP as Notre Dame’s defensive unit forced three fumbles (one out of bounds) and also caused key back-to-back turnovers on downs caused by Georgia’s offense in the fourth quarter.

Here’s everything you need to know about who Notre Dame will play in the CFP semifinals and a look at the full CFP schedule:

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Who will Notre Dame play in the CFP semifinals?

Notre Dame will face No. 6 Penn State in the semifinals of the CFP Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 9.

Penn State, which opened the CFP with a win over No. 11 SMU, beat No. 3 Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl on Tuesday. One matchup to watch in the Orange Bowl will be how Riley Leonard handles Penn State’s best defense. The Nittany Lions’ defense held Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty to just 104 rushing yards in the Fiesta Bowl despite the absence of star linebacker Abdul Carter.

The Orange Bowl will be the first meeting between the Irish and the Nittany Lions since 2007, when Notre Dame saw its two-game winning streak come to an end against Penn State.

College football playoff schedule

Always east

CFP first round

Friday, December 20th

No. 7 Notre Dame 27, No. 10 Indiana 17

Saturday December 21st

No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10
No. 12 Clemson 38, No. 5 Texas 24
No. 8 Ohio State 42, No. 9 Tennessee 17

CFP quarterfinals

Tuesday, December 31st

Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Penn State 31, No. 3 Boise State 14

Wednesday, January 1st

Peach peel: No. 5 Texas 39, No. 4 Arizona State 31 (2OT)
Rose bowl: No. 8 Ohio State 41, No. 1 Oregon 21

Thursday, January 2nd

Sugar bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame 23, No. 2 Georgia 10

Buy Orange Bowl tickets at SeatGeek

CFP semifinals

Thursday, January 9th

Orange peel: No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo, free trial)

Friday, January 10th

Cotton cup: No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo, free trial)

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CFP Championship

Monday, January 20th

CFP Championship Game: Orange Bowl Winners vs. Cotton Bowl Winners | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo, free trial)

Updated 12-team CFP bracket

With Thursday’s loss, Georgia became the last team ever eliminated from the 12-team CFP first round. Here’s a look at what the CFP round looks like after Notre Dame’s win:

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Who Notre Dame will play after winning the Sugar Bowl

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