What is the early Penn State-Notre Dame point spread for the Orange Bowl?

Penn State now knows who it will play in its first-ever College Football Playoff semifinals matchup. The No. 6 Nittany Lions beat No. 3 Boise State 31-14 to earn their second postseason win while also moving two games closer to winning a national title. The team got back into State College a few hours before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans was originally scheduled to be played. However, the matchup between No. 2 Georgia played No. 5 Notre Dame was moved to 4 p.m. ET Thursday after an early morning deadly truck attack on Bourbon Street Wednesday. The winner draws the Lions in the next round. PSU is 9-9-1 all-time against ND and won their last meeting in 2007. It is 1-1 against UGA, having last lost to the Bulldogs in 2016. Now, we know who the next opponent will be for head coach James Franklin’s side.

Penn State will play Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish beat the Bulldogs 23-10.

Before kickoff in New Orleans, many betting operators listed the Lions as a short underdog opposite of either side. The new point spread is Notre Dame -1.5 at both FanDuel and DraftKings. The early betting total over/under is 45.5 at the former and 47.5 at the latter. Circa opened the spread the same and total at 50.

The Orange Bowl starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Jan. 9. Information about tickets can be found here. ESPN is televising the matchup. Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (color commentary), Kris Budden (sideline reporter), and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter) will be on the call. Other information, including officiating assignments, uniform combinations, the team’s schedule for the week, and more will come out later this week.

Penn State set to turn celebration focus to the semifinal

Asked about Notre Dame and Georgia after the game, head coach James Franklin made clear that he and his program would take time to fully enjoy the Fiesta Bowl win before moving on to start prep for its next game. It does have a two-day rest advantage over the Irish. Both sides will waste little time getting ready for the monumental contest.

“Honestly, I want to enjoy this Boise win and this Fiesta Bowl win for a couple hours,” Franklin said Tuesday night. “We’re going to enjoy the new year. We’re going to enjoy this win for a couple hours, and then obviously we’ll start to get a little bit of a head start on these teams. But obviously, two great programs. Won a bunch of games. History, tradition, talent, coaching. At this point in the season, you’re going to play really good people, and we’re excited about that opportunity.

“But tonight, we want to enjoy this for a couple of hours. There will be plenty of time, and hours, to get focused on those next opponents.”

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