Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden was a Penn State captain and almost its head coach. Now he leads the Fighting Irish's stout defense vs. the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl.

Notre Dame and Penn State have traveled shockingly similar paths to reach this year's College Football Playoff semifinal. Both are amongst the sports blue blood class of schools, both have struggled to find any kind of national success in recent decades,

Penn State star Abdul Carter is expected to play vs. Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal, James Franklin said.