When is the Penn State-Notre Dame game? A look at the schedule, key players and more

The No. 6 seed Penn State Nittany Lions and No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish will compete in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET. It is the first of two semifinal matchups in the College Football Playoff.

The Orange Bowl will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, with ESPN televising the contest. The Fighting Irish defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 23-10 in the quarterfinal, while the Nittany Lions overcame the Boise State Broncos 31-14.

The other CFP semifinal game will be between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes. It will take place on Friday, Jan. 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Looking ahead to the Orange Bowl with Penn State and Notre Dame

As the CFP semifinals approach, the Orange Bowl features two teams that have benefitted from the new 12-team playoff format. Although there is a chance that one or both of these teams could have qualified in the old four-team format, it is far from a guarantee. Penn State was left out of the previous format on several occasions after having strong seasons.

Heading into the game, the Nittany Lions are a solid defensive team, but they have flourished offensively this year under first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Two key pieces of the offense are running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. Both players surpassed 100 rushing yards this year. Additionally, tight end Tyler Warren made 98 catches for 1158 yards and eight touchdowns.

Another key player to watch for the Penn State Nittany Lions is quarterback Drew Allar, who has taken a significant step forward in his second season as the starter. He has registered 8.6 yards per passing attempt, up nearly two yards from his 2023 season. Lastly, Penn State is led on defense by linebacker Abdul Carter, who had 11 sacks this season.

Notre Dame is on the longest winning streak of all four teams remaining, having not lost since Week 2. Quarterback Riley Leonard has led the Irish back from a disappointing loss to Northern Illinois at the beginning of the season, bringing a dynamic edge to the quarterback position with his elite passing and running abilities.

An issue for the Fighting Irish might be that they lost star defensive lineman Rylie Mills against Indiana in round one. They have also been without star cornerback Benjamin Morrison since October because of a hip injury. Despite that, the Irish still have a strong rushing defense.

Possibly the biggest asset Notre Dame has heading into the Orange Bowl is coach Marcus Freeman. At 38, he is the youngest coach left in the CFP, and he has proven to be an excellent motivator when his team needs it.