As the Fighting Irish battle for a shot at their first national championship in nearly 40 years, they'll do it in front of a pro-Nittany Lions crowd. Driving the news: Notre Dame heads to Miami this week as the slight favorite in their Orange Bowl showdown against Penn State.

Penn State and Notre Dame renew their rivalry in the Orange Bowl, making it a hot ticket of the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame and Penn State playing in a college football game with national title implications? What decade is it? Neither classic power won a game in the four-team era of the College Football Playoff,