Notre Dame is heading to the national championship after taking down Penn State in the Orange Bowl 27–24 in an instant classic. The first half got off to a somewhat slow start as both defenses established themselves rather firmly.

Notre Dame scored the final 10 points, including a 41-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with eight seconds left, to squeeze past Penn State and advance to the national championship game.

Even though Penn State head coach James Franklin wants to see every team in college football affiliated with a conference, Notre Dame continues to