Fueled by a midgame surge, Notre Dame knocked off SEC-champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl Thursday, advancing to the semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
The Fighting Irish scored 17 points within one minute of game-time, with Riley Leonard connecting on a touchdown pass late in the second quarter and Jayden Harrison returning the opening kickoff of the third quarter for another score.
The Irish held Georgia to a 2-for-12 performance on third down in the game and stopped three fourth down conversion attempts en route to a huge victory over the Bulldogs in New Orleans.
Now, the Fighting Irish will head to the semifinals of the playoffs, a round absolutely loaded with the sport’s blue bloods.
Here’s what to know.
Who will Notre Dame play next?
By virtue of winning their game Thursday, Notre Dame will take on Big Ten runner-up Penn State in the Orange Bowl next week.
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The Nittany Lions have also had to play two games already during these playoffs, taking down ACC runner-up SMU in the first round and beating Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The game will mark the 20th time that Notre Dame and Penn State have gone up against one another, with the most recent game taking place in 2007. The Irish are 9-9-1 against Penn State all time.
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This will only be the second time Notre Dame has played Penn State in a bowl game, with the Irish winning the 1976 Gator Bowl against the Nittany Lions.
When is the game scheduled to take place?
The Orange Bowl will be contested one week from today, with the two teams squaring off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 9 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
The game will air on ESPN.
Who will the winner face?
The winner of the Orange Bowl will go on to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, which will take place Monday, Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Their opponent will be the winner of next week’s Cotton Bowl in Arlington, which will pit the Texas Longhorns against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
