DANIA BEACH, Fla. — It has been a long time since either Notre Dame or Penn State reached college football’s mountaintop as national champion.
It was 1988 for the Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions. There have been good seasons and bad seasons in the three-plus decades that have followed, coaching changes and a complete overhaul of what the sport looks like.
Yet here they are — back again, on the doorstep of a title shot.
The loss to Northern Illinois is no longer relevant to Notre Dame. The losses to Ohio State and Oregon don’t matter to Penn State right now. The seventh-seeded Irish (13-1) and sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (13-2) face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, the first of two College Football Playoff semifinals; the other is Friday, when No. 5 seed Texas takes on No. 8 seed Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
“Obviously you don’t get to this point in the season without being good in all three phases,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “So far, got a ton of respect for what we’ve seen on film and what we’ve studied, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Notre Dame has won 12 straight games, its longest streak since a 16-game run spanning the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Its lone loss was a Week 2 defeat at home, 16-14 to Northern Illinois. In the old days of college football — maybe as recently as last year — such a loss could have doomed the Irish playoff chances. Not anymore.
Notre Dame got here by topping Georgia in the CFP quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl, a game delayed one day because of the truck attack in New Orleans. Penn State got its semifinal slot by topping Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl two days earlier.
“The mental preparation time has been the same,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. “For us, it was just a normal week. It was a Saturday to a Saturday, as we look at it in terms of game week.
“I think the coaches, we probably were a little bit behind to start just because of the travel and in that aspect, but physically our guys were good … and we’re going to be ready to roll.”
Historic matchup
It has been a storyline since the matchup was set: The winning coach in this game will go to the CFP title game on Jan. 20 in Atlanta with a chance to become the first Black head coach to win a major college football national championship.
“I don’t take it lightly,” Franklin said.
Freeman made sure to give credit to the two people who hired him at Notre Dame: then-athletic director Jack Swarbrick and then-university President the Rev. John Jenkins.
“I want to make sure I recognize them,” Freeman said. “And again, this isn’t about me. This isn’t about one person. It takes a team. It takes a program. It takes a lot of people committing to something bigger than themselves to put your team in a position to be here, and I understand it and I’m very grateful for it.
“If this creates more opportunities for other coaches, other minority coaches, great. It is great for the future generations of coaches, of college football coaches, of leaders. I am all for it and I’m grateful to be a part of that.”
The series
It’s the 20th meeting between the programs. They split the first 19 (9-9-1) and haven’t met since Sept. 8, 2007.
The schools met annually from 1981-92 when both were independents; Penn State joined the Big Ten starting with the 1993 season. Thursday’s game will be just the third meeting since.
Defense reigns
All four CFP semifinalists have stout defenses.
Ohio State ranks No. 1 nationally in yards allowed per game, Texas is No. 3, Penn State is No. 6 and Notre Dame is No. 8.
Notre Dame in NFL stadiums
Here’s good news for Notre Dame: It has won its last six games played in NFL stadiums. Hard Rock Stadium, the site of the Orange Bowl, is home to the Miami Dolphins.
Here’s bad news for Notre Dame: Hard Rock has not been fun for the Irish. They’re 0-2 in that stadium, losing 42-14 to Alabama in the BCS championship game that capped the 2012 season and 41-8 to Miami in 2017.
An intimate gathering
Attendance will be about 65,000 on Thursday night. For Penn State, that’s a small crowd.
Bolstered by a home stadium that routinely draws crowds exceeding 100,000, the Nittany Lions will see their total attendance for the season approach the 1.4 million mark at the Orange Bowl.
It will extend Penn State’s single-season program record. The Nittany Lions drew 1,247,707 in 2002.
No. 7 seed Notre Dame (13-1) vs. No. 6 Penn State (13-2)
- Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN.
- Line: Notre Dame by 1½.
- Series: Tied 9-9-1.
Key matchup
Notre Dame defense vs. Penn State TE Tyler Warren
At 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds with speed and versatility (he has touchdowns passing, rushing and receiving this season), Warren is, as Freeman put it, “a difficult matchup problem.” As is often the case with big, athletic tight ends, if a defense has someone big enough to cover him, that person usually isn’t fast enough, while anyone fast enough usually isn’t big enough. Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said getting to the quarterback might be the best way to stop Warren, but the tight end still caught two touchdown passes against the Broncos. Irish safety Xavier Watts has six interceptions for the country’s second-ranked scoring defense and figures to get first shot at Warren.
Players to watch
Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard. The Duke transfer passed for a season-low 90 yards in the win over Georgia, in which Notre Dame’s touchdowns came on a one-play drive after a turnover and a kickoff return. Even with his ability to run — Riley rushed for 80 yards against the Bulldogs — he likely needs to do more in the air to beat the Nittany Lions.
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Penn State: DE Abdul Carter. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year anchored the sixth-best defense in the country this year but went out early against Boise State with what looked like a left arm or shoulder injury. Franklin said Wednesday that Carter wants to play and will be a game-time decision. If he’s available, Carter can be a game wrecker. He has 11 sacks and two forced fumbles this season.
Facts & figures
Leonard has 34 rushing touchdowns in his career, second among active FBS quarterbacks. … Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen (1,026) and Nicholas Singleton (1,015) each surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the win over Boise State. … Penn State’s 34 wins since 2022 are the most over a three-season stretch in program history. … This is Notre Dame’s sixth appearance in the Orange Bowl and its first since 1995, a 31-26 loss to Florida State. … Penn State won the last game between these teams 31-10 in 2007, holding Notre Dame to 144 yards of offense.
