No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 6 seed Penn State will face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night in the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal matchups. On the line is a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship as both programs are hunting for their first national title in almost 40 years.

As the Fighting Irish battle for a shot at their first national championship in nearly 40 years, they'll do it in front of a pro-Nittany Lions crowd. Driving the news: Notre Dame heads to Miami this week as the slight favorite in their Orange Bowl showdown against Penn State.