Penn State vs. Notre Dame Orange Bowl Odds, Picks and Prediction

Penn State and Notre Dame meet in the Orange Bowl with a spot in the National Championship on the line. We have you covered with our betting preview!

No. 8 Penn State and No. 11 Notre Dame will face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night with a spot in the National Championship on the line.

Notre Dame outlasted No. 1 Georgia in a defensive-minded affair in the Sugar Bowl while Penn State overwhelmed No. 10 Boise State from the opening kickoff en route to a comprehensive victory in the Fiesta Bowl. Now, the two storied programs meet in a near-coin flip matchup.

Who has the edge?

We have you covered with our betting preview!

Notre Dame vs. Penn State Odds, Spread and Total

Spread: Penn State +1.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Notre Dame (-134) / Penn State (+112)

Total: 46.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Notre Dame vs. Penn State How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Dec. 29

Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

Notre Dame vs. Penn State Key Players to Watch

Notre Dame

Riley Leonard: Leonard was the whole offense in the Fighting Irish’s Sugar Bowl win against Georgia. He passed for 90 yards and added another 80 on the ground in the defensive-minded victory for Notre Dame. The dual-threat quarterback has been a nightmare for opposing defenses and will look to cause havoc again with both his legs and his arm on Thursday night.

Penn State

Drew Allar: The Nittany Lions offense continues to look the part of a complete one with Allar at the helm. While the team is focused on running the ball, Allar has showcased immense arm talent while keeping the ball out of harm’s way. The junior only needed to pass for 171 yards, but connected on a 38-yard touchdown pass early to set the tone in the team’s Fiesta Bowl win against Boise State in a convincing victory.

Notre Dame vs. Penn State Prediction and Pick

This matchup figures to be determined in the trenches with both teams paced by elite defensive line play and a run-first mindset on offense.

However, it’s the counters that have me siding with Penn State in this one.

The Nittany Lions have shown that it can create explosive plays in the passing game with the precise Allar (67% completion percentage with 20 big time throws to seven turnover worthy plays) ranking top 10 in EPA/Pass.

Meanwhile, the Notre Dame passing game is very limited. The team is 48th in EPA/Pass with an explosive pass rate that ranks 120th in the country. The team’s best course of action is to use the quick passing game with the likes of Jordan Faison to create manageable third downs and methodically move down the field.

But the ND offense may be limited with Jeremiyah Love re-aggravating a knee injury in the Sugar Bowl. While he’s expected to play, he may be limited. A big blow to the team’s most explosive weapon on offense outside of Leonard.

Further, with Allar’s ability to avoid turnovers, I don’t envision Notre Dame getting many chances to capitalize on a short field like it did in the Georgia game. This Fighting Irish defense led the nation in turnovers gained in the regular season (28), but Penn State is tied for 15th in the nation in turnovers lost with a sure-handed approach on offense.

There’s not much separating these two teams, but I believe over the course of 60 minutes, the Nittany Lions have the ability to diversify its attack on both sides of the field to punch its ticket to the National Championship Game.

PICK: Penn State +1.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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