Come clean, folks! After the Irish lost to Northern Illinois (at home, no less), how many thought they would have a great season, let alone make the CFP and beat Georgia going away?
No matter what you may have predicted, Notre Dame is there, having reeled off 11 consecutive wins after suffering that shocking loss to Northern Illinois on September 7. ND’s next assignment is the Penn State Nittany Lions, a team that got there by beating the likes of USC, Wisconsin, Washington, and Illinois on its way to a 13-2 year. Losses came at the hands of eventual CFP teams, then-ranked #1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship game and #4 Ohio State earlier in the season.
The NIU loss certainly raises questions about how good the Irish are. At the same time, Penn State faces scrutiny because of the presumed “softness” of its CFP path–having played against recently and currently positioned Group of Five foes SMU and Boise State. In contrast, others face off against Power 4 competition.
Historically, ND and PSU have strapped it up 19 times, and the outcome couldn’t be any closer. Each team has won nine times, lost nine times, and tied once. Most games were played from 1981 to 1992 (12 consecutive years) in a series that began in 1913, but the teams have not played since 2007, when the Irish suffered through a 3-9 season. The Lions inflicted one of those losses, 31-10.
This time, the Irish are a -2.5 favorite, which shows how close these teams are (and have been) throughout the season. Notre Dame was ranked #7 in the preseason AP Top 25, followed by Penn State at #8. The teams entered the CFP with PSU ranked #4 and ND #5.
Interestingly, neither team has played an especially strong slate of competitors. The College Football Network ranked the Lions 2024 schedule at #38 and Notre Dame at #57.
Still, both teams are powerhouses with like-caliber players. PSU has an offensive arsenal led by QB Drew Allar (3,716 yards passing, 30 TDs, 7 INTs), RB Kaytron Allen (1,354 yards, 11 TDs, 5.9 yd avg.), TE Tyler Warren (1,338 yards, 10 TDs, 12.3 yd. avg.). The Lions averaged over 35 points a game and have racked up an average of 440 yards a game this year.
On the defensive side, the Lions will have their hands full trying to halt an Irish offense averaging 40 points a game and put up 23 against the stout Georgia defense. Defending tasks fall to DB Jaylen Reed (109 total tackles, 53 solos, 2.5 sacks, three INTs, one TD), LB Kobe King (88 tackles, 49 solos, three sacks), DB Zakee Wheatley (79 total tackles, 48 solos, four PD’s, two PD’s), and Edge Rusher Abdul Carter (63 total tackles, 40 solos, 11 sacks, one PD), among others.
What a game it should be! This Thursday, it’s Notre Dame vs. Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami, FL), starting at 7:30 PM on ESPN.
Who ya’ got?
