Notre Dame and Penn State are set to meet in the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal game. Let’s take a look at the early predictions for the matchup from the oddsmakers.

Notre Dame overpowered SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal game to earn a place in the final four behind another strong defensive performance, holding the Bulldogs to 10 points.

Penn State improved to 2-0 in the College Football Playoff after discarding SMU in the first round and then Mountain West champion Boise State in the quarterfinal game.

What can we expect as the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish square off with a place in the national championship game on the line?

Let’s take a look at the early predictions for Notre Dame vs. Penn State in the College Football Playoff Orange Bowl semifinal game, according to the oddsmakers.

So far, the books are siding with the Irish over the Big Ten challenger in this game.

Notre Dame is a 1.5 point favorite against Penn State, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook for the matchup.

FanDuel lists the total at 46.5 points for the game.

And it set the moneyline odds for Notre Dame at -120 and for Penn State at +100 to win outright.

Notre Dame: -1.5 (-110)
Penn State: +1.5 (-110)

Over 46.5 points: -110
Under 46.5 points: -110

–

Notre Dame is 11-2-1 against the spread (84.6%) overall this season, ranking second nationally …

Penn State is 8-7 (53.5%) ATS in 2024-25 …

Notre Dame is 10-2-1 (83.3%) against the spread as a favorite …

Penn State is 0-2 ATS as an underdog this season …

Notre Dame is 4-0 against the spread in a neutral site game …

Penn State is 1-1 ATS in neutral site games …

ND is 5-0-1 against the spread against ranked opponents …

PSU is 2-3 ATS against ranked teams …

Notre Dame is 10-0 against the spread in its last 10 games …

Penn State is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games …

Notre Dame is 6-0-1 ATS in its last 7 games against Big Ten teams …

PSU is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games as the underdog …

ND is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games as the favorite …

–

A plurality of bettors are expecting the Fighting Irish to take care of the Nittany Lions and advance to the national title game, according to the spread consensus picks for the matchup.

Notre Dame is getting 60 percent of bets to cover this narrow point spread in a victory.

The other 40 percent of wagers project Penn State will either beat the Irish outright in an upset, or will keep the final margin to a single point in a loss.

The game’s implied score suggests a very narrow victory for the Fighting Irish.

When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Notre Dame will defeat Penn State by a projected score of 24 to 23.

Our early pick: Notre Dame -1.5 … Penn State has the backs to carry this offense, but the Irish front seven is playing too inspired football right now, even despite their bad injury luck.

–

When: Thurs., Jan. 9
Where: Miami Gardens, Fla.

Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern
TV: ESPN network

–

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

–

More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks