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Game Day Central: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Penn State in Orange Bowl, College Football Playoff semifinal

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•about 16 hours•

MikeTSinger

Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard, RB Jeremiyah Love
Stephen Lew | Imagn Images

It’s game day in South Florida. The No. 7 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1) face off against the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-2, 8-1 Big Ten) in the Orange Bowl with a spot in the national championship game on the line. Blue & Gold gets you ready with what you need to know before today’s tilt.

Join us live on YouTube after the game as we break down ND vs. Penn State

GAME DAY INFORMATION

Date: Jan. 9, 2025
Site: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN
Radio: Notre Dame IMG affiliates and ESPN
Series Facts: Notre Dame and Penn State are tied in the all-time series, 9-9-1. Penn State won the last meeting, 31-10, in State College, Pa., on Sept. 8, 2007.
Head Coaches: Penn State — James Franklin (101-41 in 11 years at PSU; 125-56 overall); Notre Dame — Marcus Freeman (32-9 in three years at ND and overall).
Noting Penn State: The Nittany Lions have 34 wins in the last three seasons, the best three year stretch in program history … Like Notre Dame, this is the first time Penn State has ever won 13 games in a single season … The Nittany Lions forced 7 turnovers in their first two playoff games … This is the sixth time Penn State has played in the Orange Bowl, and it is 4-1 in the first five … Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton make up the first Penn State running back duo to ever rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

Blue & Gold subscribers: Click here for the full game day package with depth charts, rosters, stats and more.

GAME PREDICTIONS

Vegas line: Notre Dame -1 …. Over/under 45
Oddshark prediction: ND 37, Penn State 34

Tyler Horka: ND 31, Penn State 14
Jack Soble: ND 24, Penn State 13
Todd D. Burlage: Penn State 24, ND 21
Steve Downey: ND 20, Penn State 16
Kyle Kelly: ND 23, Penn State 20
Mike Singer: ND 20, Penn State 17

Full staff predictions article

PREGAME READING

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