The first college football playoff semifinal takes place on Thursday, January 9, 2025 when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tangles with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl. The game is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Irish have gotten plenty of attention over the last few months winning 12 games in a row. They dominated Georgia in the quarterfinal round allowing just 62 yards rushing while registering four sacks and forcing two turnovers. They’ve conceded a total of 27 points in their two playoff wins. It might take winning a national championship for Notre Dame to get over the fact that it lost to Northern Illinois as a four-touchdown favorite at the Crypto Sportsbook in Week 2. With 10 straight payouts the Irish are on a massive heater and opened as a 2-point favorite.
College Football Betting Lines
Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Notre Dame Betting Lines
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -2 / ML -128
Penn State Nittany Lions +2 / ML +112
Over / Under 46
I’m really not picking on Notre Dame though it probably sounds like it. Sure the Irish have won 12 games in a row using the loss to NIU as motivation, but no other team remaining in the CFP lost to a G5 program. They have some nice wins on their resume but the Irish also had the benefit of teams that were experiencing down years, notably Florida State and USC. They also got through the first two playoff games against an Indiana team starting a quarterback with a torn ACL and Georgia’s QB starting his first game after throwing just a handful of passes during the season.
Still, the Irish won the games, made the CFP and have emerged as the favorite in this matchup. Their defense has been solid and it’s needed to be with an offense that’s had problems in the downfield passing game. They beat UGA with Riley Leonard throwing for only 90 yards and the offense amassing a total of 244 yards. They also committed 10 penalties. Against Indiana in the first round Leonard threw for 201 yards, but the offense was buoyed by a potent ground game. Led by Jeremiyah Love, who’s rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 TDs, the Irish boast the 11th best run game in the FBS averaging 217.5 yards.
Penn State has a few things going for it in this game. The Nittany Lions have the advantage of a few more days of rest, which is invaluable at this stage of the season. Notre Dame had its game with UGA postponed a day following the attack that took place in New Orleans. Stopping a good run game has been PSU’s strong suit in the playoffs holding SMU to just 58 yards on 36 carries. The Lions also did a good job suffocating Ashton Jeanty in the quarterfinal win over Boise State limiting the Heisman Trophy finalist to 104 yards, his lowest total this season.
With losses to Ohio State and Oregon, the Nittany Lions were beaten by college football’s elite. And since scoring 13 points against the Buckeyes in Week 10, the offense has been spectacular. PSU scored more than 30 points in six of its last seven games dropping 37 on Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, 38 against SMU and scoring 31 against Boise State. The balanced attack features a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who’ve combined to score 17 TDs. Drew Allar is completing 67.4 percent of his passes for nearly 3,200 yards with 24 scores and just seven interceptions.
Penn State’s defense often gets overlooked, but it’s just as solid as the offense. In their two playoff games the Lions have seven takeaways and they’ve forced 12 turnovers in their last five games. They may be without Abdul Carter, who was injured in the BSU game, but the group held up well keeping Jeanty in check. Overall the PSU defense has held 11 opponents to 20 points or less and they rank among the top 10 nationally in total defense, against the run and in fewest points allowed.
Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Notre Dame Same Game Parlay Picks
Penn State +2
Notre Dame / Penn State UNDER 46
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