Notre Dame scored the final 10 points, including a 41-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with eight seconds left, to squeeze past Penn State and advance to the national championship game.

Notre Dame outlasted Penn State in a 27-24 thriller to reach the program's first national championship game since 2012 in the Orange Bowl. Thanks to the 12-team College Football Playoff format, the Fighting Irish officially became the first team to win multiple bowl games in the same season.

Penn State and Notre Dame hooked up in a classic duel in the Orange Bowl Thursday night. The nittany Lions fell short losing to the Irish, 27-24 in the college football semifinal. PSU finished the season at 13-3. Notre Dame will advance to play the winner of the Ohio State-Texas game in the championship Jan. 20 in Atlanta.