Notre Dame and Penn State have traveled shockingly similar paths to reach this year's College Football Playoff semifinal. Both are amongst the sports blue blood class of schools, both have struggled to find any kind of national success in recent decades,

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.