Penn State football's heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Notre Dame highlighted a weakness that has plagued this program for much of this season. Head coach James Franklin's team won the battle in the trenches Thursday night,

Notre Dame beat Penn State 27-24, in the Orange Bowl Thursday night, Jan. 9, 2025 before a sellout crowd of 66,881 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Irish will be in their first title game since 2012. Coach Marcus Freeman will be the first Black head coach to take his team to the national title game.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish will now look to secure the program's first national title since 1988. While Freeman prepares his team for one final game, Penn State head coach James Franklin is headed back to the drawing board. Penn State finished the season with a 13-3 record, including two playoff victories.