It's here! The first College Football Playoff semifinal will take place tonight with (7) Notre Dame facing (6) Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Though both programs have storied pasts and aren't far from one another,

What got the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals will be instrumental in getting them past the Fighting Irish.

Penn State and Notre Dame will square off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for a spot in the national title game. If the Nittany Lions win, they’ll face either Ohio State or Texas in the CFP final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are one win away from their first national title game appearance since 1986. First they'll have to defeat the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame and Penn State are set for the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal with a shot at the national title matchup on the line. Here’s the lates

The Nittany Lions enter the semifinal with two extra days of rest — following the postponement of the Sugar Bowl — that Notre Dame needed even more.

Though the two teams haven't met since 2007, Penn State and Notre Dame share a history that includes a number of notable clashes.

Here's a look at the series history between Penn State and Notre Dame heading into their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

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EJ Manuel and Dan Orlovsky break down the key areas that could decide the College Football Playoff matchup between Notre Dame and Penn State.