Notre Dame is heading to the national championship after taking down Penn State in the Orange Bowl 27–24 in an instant classic. The first half got off to a somewhat slow start as both defenses established themselves rather firmly.

With under 20 seconds remaining, Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter nailed a 41-yard high-flying attempt to secure the win.

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.