Will Penn State be an underdog against either Notre Dame or Georgia in the CFP semifinal?
UPDATE: The early Penn State-Notre Dame point spread is out. Click here to see it.
Original story at 7 a.m. Thursday:
Penn State will learn its College Football Playoff semifinal opponent Thursday afternoon. The No. 6 Nittany Lions will play the winner of a Sugar Bowl matchup between No. 2 Georgia and No. 5 Notre Dame. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Fighting Irish are 12-1 and the Bulldogs 11-2. The game was to be played on Jan. 1, but the game was postponed after a deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. As of 7 a.m. on Thursday morning, it is set to kick off later today.
“Honestly, I want to enjoy this Boise win and this Fiesta Bowl win for a couple hours,” Lions coach James Franklin said when asked about the two teams his program might face after beating Boise State 31-14 on Tuesday night at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. “We’re going to enjoy the new year. We’re going to enjoy this win for a couple hours, and then obviously we’ll start to get a little bit of a head start on these teams. But obviously, two great programs. Won a bunch of games. History, tradition, talent, coaching. At this point in the season, you’re going to play really good people, and we’re excited about that opportunity.
“But tonight, we want to enjoy this for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of time, and hours, to get focused on those next opponents.”
The Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., will be the site of the Nittany Lions’ CFP semifinal matchup. The winner will go on to play in the College Football Playoff title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, of course. It is not currently clear if the one-day delay for the Fighting Irish-Bulldogs could impact the current semifinal schedule.
Will Penn State be an underdog against either Notre Dame or Georgia?
Right now, the betting markets suggest that will be the case. But, it will be a very short number, no matter who the opponent is. FanDuel makes Penn State a 1.5-point underdog against either the Fighting Irish or Bulldogs. DraftKings makes the Lions a 1.5-point dog to Notre Dame and has them catching 2.5 points if they face the Bulldogs, who will be turning to backup quarterback Gunner Stockton with former starter Carson Beck out for the season with a shoulder injury.
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Boise State felt many were counting it out ahead of the quarterfinals. Penn State might feel the same way ahead of the semifinals. Time will tell on that front. But, at the very least, they Lions will have a one-day rest advantage and will get to see their latest foe in action on Wednesday night.
“We talked in the beginning of the season about our guys having these types of moments and these types of experiences and these types of opportunities. Love the fact that these guys were able to find a win against a really good opponent here, and these two guys obviously leading the way.
“Just a couple of things I’ll say, 13 wins, first time in program history. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton both surpassing 1,000 yards in the same season. First time we’ve ever had two 1,000 yard rushers in the same season since joining the Big Ten. Then 34 wins over the last three years. We’re very, very proud of that. Consistency is hard to do, and our guys have done a great job at it. The maturity they’ve shown has been impressive. 8-0 in Fiesta Bowls. Penn State loves the Fiesta Bowl. We’ll come every year.
