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Score Predictions for No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame in College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cami Griffin | Last updated Jan 7, 2025 8:44 PM ET

No. 6 Penn State will face No. 7 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night.

The Nittany Lions are coming off an impressive 31-14 win over Boise State in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish handled Georgia 23-10 in a defensive battle last week. As of Tuesday evening, Notre Dame enters the Orange Bowl as the 1.5-point favorite over Penn State. Marcus Freeman's squad is 4-0-1 against the spread when favored by seven points or less this season.

Many college football analysts believe it will be another defensive battle and a fairly low-scoring contest. The over/under is set at 45.5. With a trip to the national championship game on the line, here's a look at a few score predictions ahead of the anticipated matchup:

Joel Klatt of Fox Sports: Notre Dame 24, Penn State 20

Ryan Snyder of On3 Sports: Penn State 24, Notre Dame 20

Max Chadwick of PFF: Penn State 21, Notre Dame 20

Bill Bender of Sporting News: Notre Dame 23, Penn State 20

Jeremy Cluff of Arizona Republic: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 17

The winner will advance to the national championship game to face the winner of No. 5 Texas/No. 8 Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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