Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (13-2)
January 9, 2025 7:30 pm EDT
The Line: Penn State Nittany Lions +1.5 / Notre Dame Fighting Irish -1.5; Over/Under: 45
(Get latest betting odds)
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions meet in the Orange Bowl in college football playoff semi-final action from Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Penn State vs Notre Dame Prediction.
Notre Dame Recap
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come into this game hoping to book a spot in the national title game after ending up with a 23-10 win over Georgia last time out. The Fighting Irish will be looking to play in their first national championship since losing to Alabama in the 2013 national championship, the final season before the college football playoffs.
Fighting Irish Preparing For Another War
Riley Leonard has thrown for 2,383 yards, 18 touchdowns and 6 interceptions on 66.5% passing while also rushing for 831 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. Jeremiyah Love has 1,076 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns while Jadarian Price has 720 rushing yards and 7 TDs. Beaux Collins has a team-high 37 receptions for 458 yards as well to lead Notre Dame’s receivers. On defense, Jack Kiser has a team-high 75 total tackles including 47 solo tackles while Rylie Mills has a team-high 7.5 sacks and Xavier Watts has 6 interceptions while Adon Shuler has 3 picks this season. The Irish defense as a whole has combined for 37 sacks and 18 interceptions as well on the year.
Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will win
- Notre Dame has won each of its last 12 games.
- Penn State has lost each of its last 10 games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.
- Notre Dame has covered the spread in each of its last 10 games.
Penn State Recap
The Penn State Nittany Lions punched their ticket to the national semi-finals with a 31-14 win over Boise State in their quarter-final matchup. The Nittany Lions will be looking to make their first appearance in a national championship game since 1986.
Nittany Lions Hoping To Reach Uncharted Territory
Drew Allar has thrown for 3,192 yards, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 67.4% passing while Beau Pribula’s thrown for 275 yards, 5 touchdowns and an INT on 74.3% passing. Nicholas Singleton has rushed for 1,015 yards and 9 touchdowns and Kaytron Allen has 1,026 rushing yards and 8 TDs. Tyler Warren leads Penn State’s receiving group with 98 grabs for 1,158 yards and 8 touchdowns while Harrison Wallace III has 723 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Three more Nittany Lions have 250+ receiving yards and another four Penn State pass catchers have 100+ receiving yards. On defense, Jaylen Reed has a team-high 92 total tackles and 3 interceptions while Abdul Carter has a team-high 11 sacks. Penn State as a unit, has combined for 39 sacks and 18 interceptions as well on the year.
Why the Penn State Nittany Lions will win
- Penn State has won 12 of its last 13 games against non-conference opponents.
- Penn State has covered the spread in eight of its last 10 games against non-conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Notre Dame’s last four games against top-5 AP-ranked teams at neutral venues have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Six of Penn State’s last seven Bowl games have gone OVER the total points line.
Penn State vs Notre Dame Prediction
I’m on the under in this one. I just envision this being a game that’s fought and won in the trenches. Notre Dame didn’t do a whole lot defensively but benefitted from a banged up Georgia offense last time out. I do think Penn State will be better and more competitive, but not by much. On the flipside, Penn State’s defense negated a really solid ground attack led by the best running back in the country in Ashton Jeanty, and I don’t see Notre Dame moving the ball easily on the ground here. Give me the under.
