While Notre Dame’s win against Georgia was the first win in a big bowl game in more than 30 years, Penn State is still searching for that level of win under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions had the so-called easy path to the semifinals and took advantage with a dominant win against SMU and a comfortable win against Boise State.

The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for a spot in the College Football Playoff championship game.

With just four teams remaining in the CFP field, how do we rank the potential showdowns for the national title?

The Athletic beat writers Pete Sampson (Notre Dame) and Audrey Snyder (Penn State) share their thoughts on the CFP semifinal.

Since Notre Dame's season finale win in Los Angeles against USC on November 30, star running back Jeremiyah Love hasn't been quite right. He still dazzled with a 98-yard touchdown run in the first round of the College Football Playoff game against Indiana, while also battling a cold, but it was clear to see he was still not feeling quite right.

While Notre Dame football star running back Jeremiyah Love deemed himself healthy enough to play against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff, it might not actually be the case.

Penn State and Notre Dame renew their rivalry in the Orange Bowl, making it a hot ticket of the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame football is itching for its first national title victory since 1988. The Fighting Irish have trusted running back Jeremiyah Love to help attempt to end the championship drought. Now, Penn State stands in the way in the College Football Playoffs at the Orange Bowl.

The Fighting Irish running back had previously deemed himself healthy enough to play against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the CFP semifinals - but that might not quite be the case