The 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinals start Thursday night with a star-studded matchup between two historic programs in the Orange Bowl: No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish versus the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions, with a berth in the National Championship on the line.
Expect a lot of rushing in this one as both teams do their damage on the ground offensively. Penn State is led by their two-headed running back attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who this year became the first Penn State duo in program history to both rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season.
On the other side, the Irish are led by their workhorse back Jeremiyah Love, who also eclipsed the 1,000 yards mark this season, as well as dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard, who heads into this Orange Bowl matchup second on the team with over 800 yards rushing in 2024. After a 16-14 loss to Illinois back in September, the Irish have won 12 straight games.
This is the 20th time in program history the Fighting Irish and the Nittany Lions have faced off, with the series tied at 9-9-1. The last time these two teams faced off back in 2007, Penn State knocked off Notre Dame 31-10, holding Notre Dame to zero rushing yards in that game.
Don’t miss a second of the action from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL with real-time updates from a huge Semifinal matchup in the CFB Playoff below.
Updates
Only one way to find out….
Notre Dame Pre-Game Hype Video
The Irish are READY for the 2025 Orange Bowl, with a berth in the CFP National Championship on the line!
NBC Sports Betting Analyst Eric Froton (@CFFroton): “I have major questions about Notre Dame’s ability to run the ball effectively with Jeremiyah Love departing each of their last three games due to injury. Conversely the loss of DT Rylie Mills compromises an already shaky ND run defense. I feel like Penn State has more explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball and will be able to control the line of scrimmage. I’m backing Penn State and taking the +2 points in what should be a competitive affair.”
Rushing the Field’s Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry preview both College Football Playoff semifinal matches and detail how Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State and Texas can find success to reach the championship. Check out their CFP analysis and keys to each of the games right here on NBCSports.com.
Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast as hosts Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp actionable insight, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their wagers.
Notre Dame vs Penn State Odds
Notre Dame opened at -1.5/-122 favorites and has ticked up to -2/-130 in some spots. It could potentially go up to -2.5, but unlikely to hit -3 in such a close matchup. The game total dropped at 46.5 which has held steady across the board, with the exception of Caesar’s showing an even 47 at the moment. Odds courtesy of BetMGM.
- Moneyline: Notre Dame (-125), Penn State (+105)
- Spread: Notre Dame -1.5
- Over/Under: 46.5 points
- Date: Thursday, January 9th
- 2025 · Time: 7:30 PM EST
- Site: Hard Rock Stadium
- City: Miami Gardens, FL
- TV/Streaming: ESPN
