Irish on to CFP semis; ‘Horns, Bucks up next … For those who missed it last evening, Notre Dame advanced to the CFP national championship game in Atlanta with a dramatic 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl in Miami on a last-minute FG. The Irish will play the winner of tonight’s other national semi-final pitting Texas against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Kick-off is at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. A couple of draft related notes from last night’s game. Star Penn State DE Abdul Carter, a 3rd year junior who did play last night and had a sack after being something of a game time decision of an arm injury that kept him out of Penn State’s QF win over Boise State, announced that he will forego his final year of eligibility and enter the 2025 draft where he is expected to be a top 5 pick. On the other hand, there had been some speculation that PSU QB Drew Allar, who had previously announced that he would be returning to school in 2025, might reconsider if the Nittany Lions advanced deep into the playoffs, didn’t have the kind of night that normally launches a pro career. Allar did make some plays in the game, but mostly with his legs as he was just 12 of 23 passing and threw a last-minute interception that set up Notre Dame’s game-winning FG.
