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A trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship will be on the line when (7) Notre Dame faces (6) Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal game on Thursday. It also will mark the 19th meeting between the programs with the all-time series deadlocked at 9-9-1.
Penn State and Notre Dame have plenty of star power on both sides of the ball. Nittany Lions standout edge rusher Abdul Carter is expected by many to be one of the top players off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft this spring, while Notre Dame has a star of its own in running back Jeremiyah Love.
Penn State’s path to the Orange Bowl has been smooth sailing. The Nittany Lions recorded a 38-10 win over (11) SMU at home and knocked off (3) Boise State on New Year’s Eve in the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the semifinals.
Notre Dame reached the CFP semifinals for the third time in program history after defeating (10) Indiana in the first-ever 12-team CFP first-round game and ending Georgia’s season with a 23-10 win in the Sugar Bowl last week. Notre Dame hasn’t won a national title since 1988, and the Irish are 0-2 all-time in the CFP semifinals.
Here is who has the edge at key positions in this 2025 Orange Bowl matchup.
Quarterback
Notre Dame: Riley Leonard
Penn State: Drew Allar
Both quarterbacks can make (and extend plays) with their legs. Leonard has the edge as a runner because of his powerful 6-foot-4 frame. Notre Dame tends to use him in third-and-short situations and around the goalline. Allar has improved significantly as a passer since taking over the starting role last season. Allar completed 67.4% of his attempts this season and is coming off a three-touchdown performance against Boise State. Notre Dame’s passing attack wasn’t much of a factor in the Irish reaching the CFP…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2025-orange-bowl-notre-dame-vs-penn-state-who-has-the-edge-in-college-football-playoff-semifinal-game/
Author : Cameron Salerno
Publish date : 2025-01-08 19:22:00
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