It's here! The first College Football Playoff semifinal will take place tonight with (7) Notre Dame facing (6) Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Though both programs have storied pasts and aren't far from one another,

What got the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals will be instrumental in getting them past the Fighting Irish.

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are one win away from their first national title game appearance since 1986. First they'll have to defeat the Fighting Irish.

Penn State and Notre Dame will square off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for a spot in the national title game. If the Nittany Lions win, they’ll face either Ohio State or Texas in the CFP final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

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Notre Dame and Penn State are set for the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal with a shot at the national title matchup on the line. Here’s the lates

The Nittany Lions enter the semifinal with two extra days of rest — following the postponement of the Sugar Bowl — that Notre Dame needed even more.

For the first time in 17 years, Notre Dame and Penn State are set to face off on a football field. This time, there's a lot on the line, as the 7-seed Fighting Irish will play the 6-seed Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl,

Though the two teams haven't met since 2007, Penn State and Notre Dame share a history that includes a number of notable clashes.

Here's a look at the series history between Penn State and Notre Dame heading into their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.