ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit with hi dog Peter during the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9, 2025. Joe Hermitt | [email protected] Joe Hermitt | [email protected]

As Notre Dame and Penn State look to claim their first national championship since the Reagan administration—the Irish last won the title just 18 days before the Gipper left the White House in 1989, while the Nittany Lions claimed their second natty two years earlier—ESPN will be blessed with what amounts to an open field.

After the Nittany Lions topped SMU and Boise State and the Fighting Irish beat Indiana and Georgia in the first two rounds of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the GameDay crew broke down the semifinal matchup. Penn State entered the game as a one-point favorite, according to BetMGM.