Penn State was unable to corral Oregon’s offense in the Big Ten Championship though, allowing 496 total yards while dropping a 45-37 decision to the then undefeated Ducks. The Nittany Lions eviscerated SMU in the first round of the CFP Playoff,

Finebaum believes two teams have stood out in the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff, praising the Fighting Irish for their run. He thinks Notre Dame will defeat Penn State in the semifinal and advance to the national championship game.

Notre Dame shocked 2-seed Georgia with a 23-10 victory in the Sugar Bowl to send the Fighting Irish to the national semifinals at the Orange Bowl against Penn State. The Fighting Irish used a furious rally of 17 points in 54 seconds around the halftime break to take control of the game and never looked back.