Penn State faces Notre Dame with a trip to the national title game

What’s the matter?

A trip to the College Football Playoff title game awaits the winner in the first year of the 12-team expansion. The winning coach, Penn State’s James Franklin or Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, will have a chance to become the first black coach to win a national title at college football’s highest level. What looked like another average year for Penn State has a chance to be better, thanks to a pair of double-digit wins in the playoffs so far. Notre Dame won its first major bowl game since 1994, beating Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl, which was delayed a day by a deadly truck explosion in the French Quarter.

Key matchup

Notre Dame defense against Penn State TE Tyler Warren. At 6-foot-6, 260 pounds with speed and versatility (he passed, ran and caught a TD this season), Warren is, as Freeman put it, “a tough matchup problem.” As is often the case with big, athletic tight ends, if the defense has someone big enough to cover him, that person usually isn’t fast enough, while anyone fast enough usually isn’t big enough. Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said getting to the quarterback might be the best way to stop Warren, but the tight end still caught two touchdown passes against the Broncos. Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts has six interceptions for the nation’s second-ranked scoring defense and numbers for the first sack at Warren.

Players to watch

Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard. The Duke transfer passed for a season-high 90 yards in a win over Georgia, where Notre Dame’s touchdowns came one play after a turnover and a kickoff return. Even with his ability to run — Riley rushed for 80 yards against Georgia — the assumption is that he’ll have to do more through the air to beat the Nittany Lions.

Penn State: DE Abdul Carter. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year anchored the nation’s sixth-best defense this year, but exited early against Boise State with what appeared to be a left arm or shoulder injury. Franklin said Carter wants to play and that will be a game-time decision. If available, Carter can be a steal. He has 11 sacks and two forced fumbles this season.

Facts and figures

Leonard has 34 career rushing touchdowns, which ranks him second among active FBS quarterbacks. … Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen (1,026) and Nicholas Singleton (1,015) each surpassed 1,000 yards for the season in last week’s win over Boise State. … Penn State’s 34 wins since 2022 are the most in three seasons in program history. … This is Notre Dame’s sixth Orange Bowl appearance and first since a 31-26 loss to Florida State in 1995. … Penn State won the last game between these teams, 31-10 in 2007, holding Notre Dame to 144 yards of offense.