Penn State defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton celebrates a sack during the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31, 2024. Joe Hermitt | [email protected] Joe Hermitt | [email protected] Penn State (13-2) and Notre Dame (13-1) meet Thursday night in the Orange Bowl.

No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 6 seed Penn State will face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night in the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. On the line is a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship as both programs are hunting for their first national title in almost 40 years.

As kickoff for the 2025 Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State approaches, the point spread has grown. At Fan Duel, Notre Dame opened as a 1.5-point favorite over the Nittany Lions immediately following the Fighting Irish victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Now just 48 hours before kickoff in Miami, that number has increased.