ESPN staffJan 9, 2025, 06:03 PM ET
And then there were four.
Over the next two days, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns will look to complete their quest to earn a bid into the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
The semifinal round begins on Thursday, with Notre Dame taking on Penn State in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Capital One Orange Bowl. Both teams earned their first two Playoff wins this season and will face the winner of Texas-Ohio State.
The matchup is an historic one as well.
With Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman going head-to-head with Penn State's James Franklin, a Black head coach is guaranteed to contend for an FBS National Championship for the first time in history. Penn State is the only semifinalist to play in its first College Football Playoff.
Here are the sights and sounds from the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs.
Threads for tonight
Game ready ⚪️🔵#WeAre | #CapitalOneOrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/bSLb1nlQ3U
— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 9, 2025Feelin' Lucky 🍀#GoIrish | #CapitalOneOrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/TFGQKaiV9T
— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 9, 2025Sights from the Notre Dame sidelines
Scenes from Miami 🍊#GoIrish | @NDFootball pic.twitter.com/p1m7xp1E5d
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) January 9, 2025Spirit squads turn up Florida
The Fighting Irish take on Lincoln Road🌴📣
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Come for the Capital One Orange Bowl, stay for Miami Beach. Make the most of your college playoff getaway and download the new EXP Miami Beach Tours App for a first-hand, interactive look at Miami Beach's iconic art + architecture... pic.twitter.com/PSMHrQunTs
Bringing the State College spirit to Miami Beach
Looking for an insider's guide to Miami Beach before and after the game? Head to @EMiamiBeach for a collection of Miami Beach itineraries and download the EXP Miami Beach Tours App to start planning your trip now! pic.twitter.com/3K29qxBKlD
Orange Bowl fun
📍954 @visitlauderdale | #CapitalOneOrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/Sj6a8RKzoK
— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 8, 2025South Florida hospitality at its finest!🌴@visitlauderdale | #CapitalOneOrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/UmVMCmHpj0
— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 8, 2025Work hard, play hard @downtownMIA | #CapitalOneOrangeBowl pic.twitter.com/AG7a7zLe0U
— Capital One Orange Bowl (@OrangeBowl) January 8, 2025Orange Bowl official 🍊☘️#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/UkPoTN0zpv
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 8, 2025The stage is set
The semifinal stage.#WeAre x #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/bm5p83zRwf
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 9, 2025
