How To Watch the Orange Bowl 2025: Time, Channel, and More

Penn State’s toughest playoff opponent yet

Penn State’s racked up chalk wins so far this postseason, as it dominated SMU in the first round and held Boise State in check in the Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions’ defense has been a massive factor in Penn State’s wins, as they forced three first-half picks against SMU and held Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty to season lows in yardage and efficiency. But the difficulty curve will rise exponentially against a Notre Dame squad that’s coming off of a dominant win over Georgia.

Quarterback Drew Allar has run hot and cold during the postseason, but he’s been a solid point guard for Penn State’s efficient offense. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are among the nation’s best one-two running back duos, while tight end Tyler Warren remains dangerous in any part of the field.

However, they’ll have their hands full with Notre Dame, who has a beatable rush defense but an elite secondary. The Nittany Lions will need to lock down Notre Dame’s high-end ground game and find yardage for Singleton and Allen if they want to move onto Atlanta.

Can Notre Dame take down another elite opponent?

This year’s Fighting Irish outfit is vintage in more than a few respects. They lean on the ground game for nearly 67% of their plays and use Riley Leonard as a runner to a service academy-like degree—he’s the team’s second-leading rusher by yardage and touchdowns.

But Notre Dame’s defense is a huge reason why they’ve made noise in the playoffs. They’re a top-five unit by scoring defense and passing yardage, and had no problems holding up to SEC speed in their 23–10 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Notre Dame might also benefit from good health ahead of Thursday’s game. While Penn State’s Abdul Carter remains questionable after suffering an arm/shoulder injury against Boise State, tight end Cooper Flanagan was Notre Dame’s only major injury loss after the Sugar Bowl. Running back Jeremiyah Love and rusher Howard Cross III have been practicing for Notre Dame this week.

Notre Dame’s taken care of business throughout the postseason, and their Georgia win answers a lot of questions about their abilities against a five-star opponent. If the Fighting Irish want to book their ticket to Atlanta, their defense will need to lock down a streaky Penn State offense full of elite playmakers, and their offense has to grind out points against an equally tough Nittany Lion defense.

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