After an incredible 2024 college football season, only four teams remain. This is the first year the playoffs have been expanded to 12 teams. That means more meaningful games at the end of the season that didn’t matter in the past. The first of two national semifinals will be played Thursday night.
The seventh-ranked Notre Dame Irish will face the sixth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl. This will be a physical football game between Notre Dame and Penn State. Both teams have elite defenses and are able to find incredible success in games. According to the odds, Notre Dame is expected to win the game (-1) Online betting. They defeated Georgia in the quarterfinals, and Penn State faced two lighter opponents to start the postseason. So even though the Nittany Lions are ranked higher overall, the Fighting Irish are still slightly favored. Tune in tonight’s game on ESPN at 7:30 PM ET.
Note: Odds obtained via BetOnline. Accurate as of January 9, 2025
Will Notre Dame or Penn State advance to the national championship?
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— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 9, 2025
#7 Notre Dame (-1) (-121 ML)
In the second game of the 2024 season, Our Lady Lost to Northern Illinois 16-14 at home. The Fighting Irish have since rattled off a 12-game winning streak and reached Thursday night’s national semifinals. Marcus Freeman and his team have faced Indiana and Georgia to get to this point. Notre Dame was one of four teams hosting home postseason games for the first time, and they took full advantage of the opportunity. Although the score was 27-17 against Indiana, the game was never particularly close. The Indians scored in garbage time to make the score look closer than it actually was.
Notre Dame quarterfinal matchup against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. The Irish won that game 23-10, taking down one of the top programs in the country. Georgia’s Gunnar Stockton made his first college start against Notre Dame but struggled. Notre Dame plays Penn State on Thursday night. Both teams have similar strengths. We know the Irish Lions and Nittany Lions have strong defenses. Just like their game against Georgia, tonight’s game will be about which team makes the fewest mistakes. Notre Dame scored zero points against the Bulldogs, which is why they’re in the Orange Bowl.
#6 Penn State (+1) (+101 ML)
12-Team College Football Playoff pennsylvania state university and Notre Dame. They would finish in the top twelve for years, but never in the top four making the playoffs. Expansion changed that, and now Penn State is one game away from the national championship. In the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Penn State hosts SMU. They were runners-up in the ACC Championship Game but had no chance against the Nittany Lions. SMU lost 38-10 and Penn State won handily.
In the second playoff game, Penn State faced the Mountain West champion Boise State Broncos. They feature Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty, who is having an incredible season as a RB. However, Penn State’s defense limited Jeanty and the Nittany Lions won 31-14. Notre Dame was slightly more popular than Penn State in the Orange Bowl. They faced tougher opponents than their Penn State rivals. Indiana and Georgia have better wins than SMU and Boise State. Can the Nittany Lions use this as motivation tonight when they face Notre Dame? Head coach James Franklin will be looking to overcome the odds and dispel the notion that he can’t win a big game. It was the most meaningful game of his tenure at Penn State so far.
