Penn State and Notre Dame. Two storied college football programs with enormous fan bases. But the Nittany Lions haven't claimed a national championship since 1986 (despite an undefeated 1994 season), and the Fighting Irish haven't been named champs since 1988.
The two teams will square off Thursday in the Orange Bowl, with the winner advancing to the national title game (against either Ohio State or Texas).
But which program will keep fighting for a return to glory?
Here's a look at what they're saying around the country:
THE ORANGE BOWL MATCHUP IS LOCKED IN 🍊🏟️
Who ya got in this one, Penn State or Notre Dame? pic.twitter.com/WFYWm1tv1S
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 3, 2025
"Notre Dame used a kickoff return for a touchdown and costly Georgia turnovers to outlast Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. It was an impressive showing, but was it replicable? The Fighting Irish enter the Orange Bowl with two fewer days of rest than the Nittany Lions, and that could make a difference considering how physical this game will be. Penn State wants to run the football, and Notre Dame is still grappling with the absence of star defensive lineman Rylie Mills. The Nittany Lions have demonstrated offensive improvement this season under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and have enough versatility to keep the Fighting Irish off balance in what should be a tight game."
Penn State beat Notre Dame on the way to claiming each of its two national championships. The Nittany Lions will again have to follow that pattern, this time in the Orange Bowl.
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) January 3, 2025
"Notre Dame’s offense, particularly its lack of a passing game, isn’t giving me a lot of confidence, but I’d feel foolish picking Penn State to win a big game and the Nittany Lions end up performing like they have in every other big game for the last several years. It’s not a big enough spread to give me much pause. Plus, favorites are 8-0 straight up and 7-1 against the spread in the CFP so far."
The last time Penn State faced off against Notre Dame, it was the first ever official Whiteout at Beaver Stadium pic.twitter.com/EhSCGP0NVn
"The Fighting Irish are a slight favorite in this game, but we think that Notre Dame could be favored by even more than the current 1.5 points. While Penn State impressed in its win over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Notre Dame really impressed us in its victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. We see some similarities between the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions, although Drew Allar definitely has the potential to keep Penn State in this game. Riley Leonard and Notre Dame, however, will be too much for Penn State."
Penn State Vs Notre Dame. Huge week for Philly guys who have Irish catholic cousins that went to Bloomsburg.
"Power rankings and advanced metrics will downgrade the Notre Dame Fighting Irish despite beating Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The Irish converted four of 14 third downs, gained only 244 yards, and averaged merely four yards per play.
. . .
"Those metrics overlook the game state that made offense less of a priority. Notre Dame adopted a conservative game plan after taking a 13-3 lead just before halftime thanks to a fumble recovery inside the 15-yard line.
"To that point, the Bulldogs had run 32 plays for 141 total yards, 67 coming on one pass. Excluding that completion to Arian Smith, Georgia had averaged 2.39 yards per play. Notre Dame knew its defense would continue to win the day, making a 10-point lead insurmountable as long as the Irish did not gift the Bulldogs a scoring opportunity. The playcalling reflected that.
. . .
"These were features, not bugs, in the Irish game plan. However, this spread treats them like bugs. Notre Dame will have more explosiveness against the Penn State Nittany Lions, a quality defense lacking some of the key playmakers. Irish running back Jeremiyah Love should be closer to health, a knee injury bothering him the last few weeks.
"Downgrading Notre Dame after its Sugar Bowl win is a mistake, but it creates early betting value in the Orange Bowl."
