Just four teams are left standing in the College Football Playoff, with the action set to resume Thursday night. The first semifinal features a couple of programs with plenty 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 named national champs in 1988, and the Nittany Lions’ last title was two years before that.
But while it’s safe to say both fan bases are more than a little hungry, all the rooters have to like what they’ve seen so far in the postseason from their respective teams. Notre Dame followed up a dominant defensive performance against upstart Indiana with another strong outing against an admittedly short-handed Georgia squad, while Penn State handled an error-prone SMU then overpowered Boise State to reach this round.
Here’s a closer look at tonight’s contest.
Orange Bowl – No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame
Time/TV/Location: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Why watch: If you like hard-hitting, old-school football, this is the game for you. The Fighting Irish defense has been the team’s strong suit all season, allowing an average of just 13.6 points a game while generating a nation’s-best total of 31 takeaways. LB Jack Kiser and DB Xavier Watts make a lot of the finishes, and the front line held up well against Georgia despite the absence of mainstay DL Rylie Mills, who sustained a knee injury in the Indiana game. The unit will now turn its attention to the stronger ground attack of the Nittany Lions featuring RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Penn State’s play-calling might have been too clever at times against Boise State, but QB Drew Allar is going to need some of those creative design situations to work against the Notre Dame secondary. Having an all-purpose weapon like TE Tyler Warren helps, but the wide receivers must also contribute. The same can be said for the Irish when they have the ball, as they’ve relied heavily on QB Riley Leonard making the right reads on short throws and keepers. Speedy RB Jeremiyah Love tweaked a knee in the Georgia game but is expected to play. RB Jadarian Price can also help Leonard with ground support, but he’ll also need WRs Beaux Collins or Jordan Faison to stretch the field. The Nittany Lions might be without top pass rusher Abdul Carter, who suffered an apparent arm injury last week, but there are other playmakers like DB Jaylen Reed and LB Kobe King on that side of the ball for Leonard to be concerned about.
WHO WINS?: Does Notre Dame or Penn State prevail in Orange Bowl?
Why it could disappoint: Due to circumstances beyond its control, Notre Dame got one less day of rest than anticipated between the Sugar Bowl and this contest. That might or might not be a factor, but in any case this would appear to be a matchup in which points will be hard to come by, and a multi-score deficit either way will be hard to surmount.