A trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship will be on the line when (7) Notre Dame faces (6) Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal game on Thursday. It also will mark the 19th meeting between the programs with the all-time series deadlocked at 9-9-1.

The Fighting Irish (13-1) and the Nittany Lions (13-2) will square off Thursday in Miami, proud programs in pursuit of their first national championship since the 1980s.

Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m.Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL.Watch: ESPNRadio: See Penn State Radio NetworkFollow Along: Nittany Nation Twitter FeedBetting Line: Notre Dame -1.5 Keep up to date on everything Penn State sports with our Nittany Nation Newsletter.

Penn State coach James Franklin and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman held their final media availability Wednesday before the Orange Bowl, where they discussed key injuries and preparing for their biggest game of the season so far. Here’s what the coaches had to say as the Orange Bowl approaches.

The semifinals of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff begin Thursday with a blockbuster Orange Bowl matchup between (6) Penn State and (7) Notre Dame. Both teams have leaned heavily on their defenses and run games to reach the doorstep of the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Notre Dame is fresh off its biggest win in 30 years. Can it record an even bigger one on Thursday night in Miami?

Penn State, including two Cincinnati natives, will face Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl Thursday night.

With both teams relying on their dual-threat quarterbacks inside the red zone, Douglas Farmer is zeroing in on Drew Allar and Riley Leonard ahead of Thursday's CFP Semifinal in Miami.