The College Football Playoff field has been narrowed to four teams, with (6) Penn State, (7) Notre Dame, (5) Texas, and (8) Ohio State remaining in the national title hunt. The Nittany Lions defeated (3) Boise State in the first quarterfinal game on New Year's Eve to set up a date with the Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.

Star power is abundant in Penn State vs. Notre Dame and Ohio State vs. Texas. Here are the players you won’t want to miss in this week’s national semifinals.

Penn State football coach James Franklin thinks the College Football Playoff is a treasured experience for fans of the programs.

Ta’Mere Robinson, LB, Brashear — Robinson has earned playing time in his two seasons at Penn State, while still holding sophomore eligibility. He was a consensus four-star recruit out of Brashear, but missed his senior high school season due to injury.

James Franklin finally has an opportunity to change the narrative that surrounds his program. But he's got to win a big game to do it.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman or Penn State’s James Franklin will become the first Black coach to lead a team into the national title game at college football’s highest level.

We share our thoughts and final score predictions below. Charlie: Both teams are so similar yet one just feels more like a national championship caliber team than the other. The Fighting Irish might not have the explosive downfield passing attack,