- What: 2025 Orange Bowl
- Who: Penn State vs. Notre Dame
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida
- When: Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- How to watch: ESPN
The wait is almost over for college football fans across the globe. We've reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, with Penn State, Notre Dame, Texas and Ohio State being the only teams remaining. Which side will win it all? On Thursday night, the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions will meet. With that said, Notre Dame is a small favorite over Penn State for the 2025 Orange Bowl.
Which team will come out on top? It has been a dream run for Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman. In the quarterfinals, ND took on Georgia and plenty of people thought that the Bulldogs would be able to post a win, especially after they had a first-round bye. Instead, Notre Dame was able to post a convincing win, which Freeman was quite happy about.
| Orange Bowl odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame to win | -132 | -132 | -132 |
| Penn State to win | +110 | +110 | +110 |
| Over 42.5 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 42. 5 points | -110 | -110 | -110 |
“I remember that same meeting that Riley (Leonard) was talking about, after the NIU game, I remember saying, ‘In two weeks, you’ve experienced the highest of highs of being the quarterback at Notre Dame and the lowest of lows.' And there’s no other position in this program that emulates the head coach than the quarterback at Notre Dame.”
According to the best online sports betting sites, Notre Dame holds -132 NCAAF betting odds to record a victory, while the Bulldogs hold +110 football betting odds to pull off an upset. It's not going to be easy for the Nittany Lions and we think the Big Ten side will keep things close. With that said, though, we're going with Notre Dame as our pick.
There's no shortage of talent on either of these teams 💪⭐️
Does Notre Dame or Penn State have the more complete team? pic.twitter.com/XzenRDHSvV
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 6, 2025
Penn State vs. Notre Dame isn't expected to be a high-scoring game
Taking a look at things as a whole, Penn State vs. Notre Dame isn't expected to be a high-scoring game. On paper, you'd think that both offenses would be ready to put up a ton of points. For Notre Dame, Riley Leonard has been great with the ball in his hands, proving to be a great transfer quarterback. He arrived in South Bend after looking sharp for Duke.
As for the Nittany Lions, Drew Allar has been brilliant and there's buzz that he could end up leaving school early to pursue his NFL Draft dreams. If that happens, he could be a Top 3 QB taken. With all of that said, both Notre Dame and Penn State have ferocious defenses and players on that side of the ball will be ready to make a statement with a trip to the natty on the line.
Haters will still say James Franklin hasn’t won a big game
He has now won back to back playoff games knocking off #10 and #9
But I know “ it’s Boise State “ “ it’s SMU “
This man wins football games and Nittany Nation is happy to have him
These are big games and he’s winning… pic.twitter.com/kFqGCeCMzF
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) January 1, 2025
"I think in a lot of ways, they are built similar to us," Penn State head coach James Franklin said about Notre Dame. "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."
Per the oddsmakers in Las Vegas, the over/under has been set at 42.5 points. Normally, we'd expect both teams to put up plenty of points and make life tough for an opposing defense, but we don't think that's going to be the case in the 2025 Orange Bowl. We're going with the under as our pick. It will be interesting to see if things go down that way or not.
Notre Dame is dreaming of going on a National Championship run
With this big game coming on Thursday, don't forget that Notre Dame is dreaming of going on a National Championship run too. If the Irish take down the Longhorns, it will set up a contest against the winner of Texas and Ohio State. From our chair, we think Ohio State will win.
It has been a postseason to remember for Ryan Day and his players. If Ohio State and Notre end up meeting in the title contest, which we think will happen, it would be an incredible final showdown to crown the champion. With that said, Ohio State would be a massive favorite.
As things stand, the Buckeyes hold -120 odds to win the title, while Notre Dame is set at +350. This tells you that a lot of money is going on Ohio State to get the job done. Looking to get in on the betting action? Check the BetOnline sign up bonus for an opportunity to place some wagers on the CFP. There's no better time.
