Notre Dame vs. Penn State: How to watch the Orange Bowl
Only four teams remain in the college football playoffs, bringing us closer to the end of the first-ever 12-team playoff bracket. This week's semifinals include the 91st annual Orange Bowl game (officially the Capital One Orange Bowl) which will take place on Thursday night between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions. The two teams have met 19 times since 1913, with a 9-9-1 record. This week's game will break that tie, at least for now, and send the winner to the NCAA championship final on January 20 where they will play the winner of the upcoming Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas.
Here's how to watch the Orange Bowl game between Notre Dame and Penn State, and you can check out the college football playoff schedule for the rest of the post-season, too.
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
TV Channel: ESPN
Streaming: DirecTV, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, YouTube TV and more
You can watch coverage of this week's Penn State vs. Notre Dame Orange Bowl game starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
You can tune into the Penn State vs Notre Dame game on ESPN which is carried by several platforms including Fubo TV, DirecTV, and YouTube TV.
All times Eastern
Thursday, Jan. 9
Orange Bowl: Penn State vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, Jan 10
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Texas, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Monday, Jan. 20
CFP National Championship: Teams TBD, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The remaining NCAA football playoff games will air on ESPN. If your cable provider doesn't carry ESPN or you're looking for a way to stream it, the channel is available on several services including Hulu with Live TV, Fubo, DirecTV, and Sling.
Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV....
Notre Dame vs. Penn State live updates, score: Follow College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl
The first national title game participant will be decided Thursday night in Miami when Notre Dame and Penn State square off in the College Football Playoff semifinal. The second semifinal featuring Ohio State vs. Texas will follow on Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Date: Jan. 9 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN | Line: Penn State -1 | Total: 45.5
This is a matchup of two proud football programs that have gone a long time before experiencing the ultimate glory. Both teams have multiple national titles to their name but neither has won one since the 1980s. One of these teams is two wins away from ending that drought, and that starts on Thursday night.
Both teams have won two playoff games convincingly to get here, and both have leaned on strong defensive play and the running game along the way. The Fighting Irish have been particularly dependent on the run game, led by the legs of QB Riley Leonard. His counterpart, Penn State QB Drew Allar, has better passing numbers in the playoffs after throwing for three touchdowns against Boise State in the quarterfinals.
Will the passing game carry the Nittany Lions, especially with all-around weapon TE Tyler Warren, or will Notre Dame's defense shut it down just like it did in the first two rounds of the playoffs? And how will Penn State contain Leonard and the Notre Dame ground game? Those are the questions that may decide who advances to the championship game.
Penn State vs. Notre Dame live updates: The latest from the Orange Bowl
The College Football Playoff semifinals are finally here. Historic programs Penn State and Notre Dame will square off Thursday night in the Orange Bowl with a berth in the national championship on the line.
The Fighting Irish (13-1) are among the country's best on both sides of the ball. They ranked fourth with 37.7 points per game while only surrendering 13.6, the second-best rate. Marcus Freeman's team cruised past Indiana in the opening round and last week topped defending national champion Georgia 23-10.
The Nittany Lions (13-2), led by star quarterback Drew Allar, have dominated thus far in the postseason. After defeating SMU 38-10, they defeated Boise State 31-14.
Who will come out on top of the Orange Bowl? Stay with NBC News all night for the latest.
