Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Penn State Nittany Lions 1/9/25 NCAAF Playoff Semifinal Top Predictions

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Penn State Nittany Lions 1/9/25 – The Fighting Irish of Notre-Dame (13-1) and the Nittany Lions of Penn State (13-2) are going to face each other in the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal. This is really thrilling since both teams have outstanding records – this will be an important duel in South Miami at the Hard Rock Stadium. Notre Dame plays with confidence as they have accumulated a win streak of 10 matches and Penn State seeks to maintain its recent surge in the beating of independent colleges. The prize is indescribable: the champion goes to the final of the premiere of the National Championship.

Team	SP/RL	TOTAL	ML
Fighting Irish	-2.5 (-110)	Over 44.5 (-105)	-135
Nittany Lions	+2.5 (-110)	Under 44.5 (+100)	+115

Scenes from Miami 🍊#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/p1m7xp1E5d

— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) January 9, 2025

The Fighting Irish are slight favorites, reflecting their dominance in recent weeks and perfect record against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 games. Penn State offers strong value as underdogs, given their solid offense led by Drew Allar. Bettors may find the Over enticing as both teams are capable of lighting up the scoreboard. However, the 44.5-point total suggests a defensive battle is expected.

Riley Leonard QB vs. Drew Allar QB

Riley Leonard of Notre Dame has amassed 2383 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, and this season, he has stood out with good performance during matches. Leonard is magical in short passes as well us going out of the pocket and this ability has turned out to be a game changer for Fighting Irish. But with six interceptions, it goes on to show that at times he does struggle against pressure situations. With effective improvisation, Leonard has the potential to turn the tide especially during matches where Penn State’s defense shows weakness. 

Drew Allar of Penn state has been a pleasant surprise as he completed 67.4 of his passes passing for 3192 yards with 24 touchdowns. Allar is capable of throwing judiciously and studying every possible opening which renders him a dreaded figure for the opposition’s secondaries. In all likelihood, Allar will be able to tackle Irish’s defense, but his seven interceptions indicate that he likes to gamble and his strength and calm under duress will be beneficial.

Notre Dame’s Dominance in Recent Games

The Fighting Irish are on a roll, winning their last five games convincingly. Their defense shined in a 23-10 win over Georgia, while Riley Leonard’s leadership was evident in high-scoring victories against USC (49-35) and Army (49-14). Jeremiyah Love has been electric, rushing for over 1,000 yards, and Beaux Collins remains a reliable target in the receiving game. Notre Dame’s balanced offense and stifling defense will be key against Penn State.

Trends

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends

Notre Dame are 10-0 ATS in their last 10 games.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Notre Dame’s last 20 games.
Notre Dame are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games.
Notre Dame are 6-0-1 ATS against Big Ten teams.

Penn State Nittany Lions Betting Trends

Penn State are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Penn State’s last 6 games.
Penn State are 13-2 SU in their last 15 games.
Penn State are 5-0 SU against Independent FBS teams.