Penn State vs Notre Dame prediction & betting tips - Jan. 9 - College Football Playoff

The No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions play the No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday in the Orange Bowl with kick-off set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN and also serves as the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Penn State advanced to the semifinals with a 31-14 win over Boise State. Notre Dame, meanwhile, beat Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

Penn State vs Notre Dame: Prediction

Penn State is a 2.5-point underdog while the over/under is set at 44.5 points.

The Nittany Lions will finally play a tough game in the playoffs as Penn State faced SMU and Boise State, and both games were routs. The Nittany Lions now take on a well-rounded Notre Dame team.

"I think in a lot of ways, they are built similar to us," Penn State coach James Franklin said. "You look at their turnover ratio numbers, you look at their explosive play defense in terms of defending and limiting explosive plays. You look at the middle eight, they are built in a lot of ways that I think we are in terms of emphasizing the statistics that matter...

"Obviously the quarterback's production jumps out at the you. Total production, his impact in the game specifically as a runner and big body guy, but also can make plays in the passing game. Running backs, they are legit. They have a massive offensive line."

Penn State is led by Drew Allar, who has thrown for 3,192 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Nittany Lions also have a double-headed monster in the backfield as Kaytron Allen rushed for 1,026 yards and eight TDs, while Nicholas Singleton has 1,015 yards and nine TDs. Penn State's offense also runs through Tyler Warren, who has 1,158 receiving yards and eight TDs.

Defensively, star pass rusher Abdul Carter has 11 sacks and is expected to play after suffering an injury against Boise State.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, beat Indiana and Georgia to advance to the semifinals. The Fighting Irish have played well this season, but defeating Penn State will be tough, according to coach Marcus Freeman.

"[Drew Allar] is playing as well as he has all season," Freeman said. "He's playing confident, throwing the ball well, making really good decisions, staying in the pocket and delivering good balls.

"So their offense is going to present a great challenge for us. Defensively they create a lot of havoc, and it doesn't have to be with pressure. Their front four creates havoc. They do a good job stopping the run and getting after the quarterback in the pass game.

"And like I just said about the tight end, their defensive end [Abdul Carter], he's as good as anybody in college football at his position."

Notre Dame is led by Riley Leonard, who's thrown for 2,383 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 831 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jeremiyah Love has rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns but is a bit banged up.

The Penn State defensive line should be the difference in this matchup, as the Nittany Lions will be able to get after Leonard and stuff the running game.

Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions offense is legit, as the running game is clicking while Allar is one of the best QBs in college football. Penn State should be able to pull off the upset win here, due to its D-line limiting Notre Dame's run game.

Prediction: Penn State 21, Notre Dame 17.

Penn State vs Notre Dame: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Penn State +2.5 (-110)

Tip 2: Penn State ML (+120)

Tip 3: Under 44.5 points (-105)