Notre Dame players and staff members are dealing with a "flu or a virus" ahead of Thursday night's College Football Playoff semifinal against Penn State, a school official confirmed in a statement to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello.

Just four teams remain in pursuit of a college football national championship. It all gets underway later tonight, when Notre Dame takes on Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The winner of that game will face the winner of Friday night’s Cotton Bowl Classic between Texas and Ohio State.

Abdul Carter has been a huge part of Penn State's defense this season, as the junior defensive end has compiled 11 sacks and two forced fumbles. But he suffered an injury in the win over Boise State back on New Year's Eve.

Adam Silverstein, on a 16-2 run (+1375) on Penn State picks, has revealed his CFP semifinal predictions for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2025 Orange Bowl on Thursd

If Notre Dame is going to move on and play for a championship it will need another strong performance from the Irish defense. here are my keys to victory for the Irish defense. 1) Dominate Up The Middle - A key to Notre Dame's defensive success the last two seasons has been the play of the interior of its defensive line,

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish face the Penn State Nittany Lions in this year’s CFP semifinal — here’s how to livestream the game

Both ESPN's matchup analytics and the betting odds are favoring Notre Dame. The Notre Dame vs. Penn State football game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT start on ESPN on Thursday, Jan. 9. Sean McDonough is expected to do the play-by-play. Greg McElroy is expected to join him in the booth.

The Nittany Lions enter the semifinal with two extra days of rest — following the postponement of the Sugar Bowl — that Notre Dame needed even more.

Here's a look at the series history between Penn State and Notre Dame heading into their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.