The first College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup will kick off from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL at 7:30 p.m. ET. Read on for our favorite Notre Dame vs. Penn State bet ahead of tonight’s matchup on ESPN.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-1) at Penn State Nittany Lions (+1); o/u 45.5
7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, January 9, 2025
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
TV: ESPN
Notre Dame vs. Penn State CFP Public Betting: Bettors Leaning with Irish
As of this writing, our CFB Public Betting page shows that 57% of bets are on Notre Dame. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Irish’s Love good to go for Thursday
Jeremiyah Love (knee) will be good to go for Notre Dame’s game Thursday against Penn State, Tyler Horka of On3 reports. Notre Dame’s head coach Marcus Freeman has assured his team will get its top running back going into the upcoming semifinal against Penn State. ND’s first playoff game, against Georgia, is the only time this season in which Love has not logged a touchdown. In all his other 2024 games, he recorded at least one rushing TD and a total of 142 carries for 1,057 yards. The sophomore also caught 24 passes for 224 yards and another two touchdowns. Ideally for Love, he can step up against a PSU defense that held down Boise State’s projected first-round draft selection Ashton Jeanty.
PSU QB Allar coming off big game
Drew Allar completed 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns during Tuesday’s 31-14 victory versus Boise State. He also had 11 rushes for a loss of four yards. Allar didn’t have his most efficient day throwing the ball, completing just 52.0 percent of his attempts, but he still averaged a respectable 6.8 yards per attempt and connected on three touchdown passes, including two in the first quarter, to help the Nittany Lions advance to the College Football Playoff Semifinals against either Georgia or Notre Dame.
Notre Dame vs. Penn State CFP Betting Trends
Notre Dame is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Penn State is 13-2 SU in its last 15 games
Notre Dame is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Penn State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Notre Dame vs. Penn State CFP Prediction
Take Penn State in the first half. The Nittany Lions have been one of the better bets in the first half of any team in the nation. Against Boise State, Penn State rolled to a 17-7 lead in the first half, covering as a 6.5-point 1H favorite. Against SMU in the first round, the Nittany Lions took a 28-0 lead as a 4.5-point 1H favorite. Even when they didn’t cover in the first half like they failed to do versus Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, they still started fast by scoring 24 first-half points.
This is a coin flip game. I think it could be low-scoring, but both sides have big play potential so I’m not interested toying with the 45.5-point total. James Franklin has also had some issues winning “the big one” in his coaching career, but I also feel great about PSU coming into tonight’s game prepared. Thus, give me the Nittany Lions in the first half. If they can at least keep the game even after two quarters, we’ll cash and we can enjoy the second half with our profits in hands.
Notre Dame vs. Penn State CFP Prediction: Penn State Nittany Lions +0.5 First Half