Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Penn State Nittany Lions Prediction, 1/9/2025 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Penn State Nittany Lions

Date: Thursday, January 9, 2025

Location: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Nittany Lions (+2.0)

Total/Over-Under: 47

The Penn State Nittany Lions (13-2) are welcoming the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1) at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday, January 9, 2025 in the CFP Semifinals at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Notre Dame opens this contest as 2.0-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under comes in at 47.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish step onto the field holding a record of 13-1 for this season. In their last matchup, the Fighting Irish played the Georgia Bulldogs and took home the win by a score of 23-10. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended up running the ball 37 times and compiled 154 yds, which earned them an average of 4.2 yards per tote. When the final whistle blew, they ran 61 plays which gave them a total of 244 yds. Notre Dame gave up 20 completions on 32 tries for a total of 234 yards, and a completion percentage of 62.5%. Against the run, the Fighting Irish gave up 62 yards on 29 attempts, which averages out to 2.1 yards per run allowed.

The Fighting Irish have earned 5,450 total yards for the season. In terms of scoring touchdowns, Notre Dame has earned 20 touchdowns through the air and 42 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the ball 13 times. Notre Dame has earned 270 first downs as a unit, and they have been called for 75 infractions for 679 yds. As a team they are averaging 222.4 yards on the ground which is 11th in the country. Regarding putting points on the board, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have an average of 38.8 PPG.

The Fighting Irish sit in 3rd in the country when it comes to team defense, conceding 13.8 points per contest. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.7 yards per run and 133.0 yards on the ground per game so far this season. For the season, they have given up 1,729 rushing yards through 13 games. Concerning passing yardage, the Fighting Irish are conceding 2,110 yards which has them ranked 6th in the country. They have allowed 162.3 yards per game through the air as well as allowing a completion percentage of 49.7%. Overall, they have relinquished 295.3 yards per outing putting them 8th in D-1. They have surrendered 10 touchdowns via the pass in addition to 10 touchdowns pounding the rock.

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The Nittany Lions step onto the field holding a record of 13-2 for this season. When they last played, the Nittany Lions took home the win by a final score of 31-14 against the Boise State Broncos. Penn State allowed 40 running attempts for 108 yds (2.7 yards per carry). The Nittany Lions secondary conceded a completion rate of 65.7%, surrendering 304 yards on 23 for 35 through the air. The Nittany Lions finished the contest with a total of 387 yards while running 66 plays (5.9 yds per play). Penn State ended up running for 5.3 yds per attempt, finishing with a total of 216 yards on 41 carries.

In relation to their ability to score points, the Nittany Lions rank 24th in the country with an average of 33.9 PPG. The Penn State Nittany Lions are averaging 439.8 yards per contest, which is good for 23rd in D-1. The Penn State offense has racked up 662 penalty yards on 70 violations, ranking them 73rd in the nation in terms of helping out the opposition. They have tossed 8 interceptions while letting opponents recover 4 fumbles and they have been able to earn 326 1st downs. Over the course of the season to this point, the Nittany Lions currently have a total of 3,340 yards through the air along with holding an average of 238.6 throwing yards per game, which ranks 53rd in college football. They hold an average of 201.2 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 2,817 yards for the season.

Penn State has allowed the opposition a total of 1,406 yards on the ground (100.4 yards/game) in addition to 7 touchdowns on the ground for the year. They have conceded 15 touchdowns through the air and 179.6 yards per outing, which has them in 16th in the country. They have compiled 6 fumbles recovered and 15 interceptions over the course of the season. The Nittany Lions defense has participated in 861 plays, which is good for 107th in college football. The Nittany Lions are relinquishing 15.9 points per game, which has them sitting 6th in D-1. This year, they have allowed 223 points.

Who will win tonight's Fighting Irish/Nittany Lions college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Fighting Irish -2.0

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