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Penn State Nittany Lions

Notre Dame and Ohio State can no longer be underestimated as they prepare for the Jan. 20 national championship.

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has declared for the NFL Draft, with Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, sharing Carter’s decision with ESPN just hours after the Nittany Lions’ season ended Thursday in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Carter, a projected top-five overall pick and the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, played through a left shoulder injury in the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame and was still a force. The All-America honoree recorded his 12th sack of the season and played both defensive end and linebacker. It was a gutsy performance by a...

The Pulse Newsletter📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Make that field goal today. 12 → 3: Notre Dame’s unbelievable win The best (and sometimes worst) part of being a sports fan is realizing in the moment that you’re living inside a memory already. You know, no matter the outcome for your team, this is a moment you’ll talk about decades from now. The final two minutes of Notre Dame’s 27-24 win over Penn State in last night’s Playoff semifinal felt that way to me, and I’m not...

Notre Dame won the Orange Bowl because this program knows how to catalyze every advantage and how to tackle every challenge.

Kelly left Notre Dame for LSU and a better shot at a championship, but it's Marcus Freeman and the Irish who will play for a title.

After Notre Dame beat Penn State, Marcus Freeman will be the first Black coach in college football's national championship game.

Notre Dame opened as a small favorite against Penn State for the CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl.

Two elite skill-position players — Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith and Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love — will lead their teams to victory.

Elite depth, the staple of so many recent national champions, is harder to maintain in the NIL/portal era of player transience.

The Big Ten perhaps is in a better position to succeed than at any time in the last 50 years.

Opposing coaches and personnel staffers break down the strengths and weaknesses of the QBs for the four teams still alive in the CFP.

Marcus Freeman and James Franklin provided one final injury update ahead of Thursday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal.

There will be dozens of future NFL players on the field during the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Welcome to Until Saturday, the five-star college football newsletter: What are our predictions for college football in 2025?

College football is about to gain a new Face of the Sport in whoever wins this national championship.