After two College Football Playoff games as the favorite, Penn State football returns to the underdog role against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions probably prefer it that way. Penn State,

Penn State and Notre Dame are teams that are built similarly, at least according to PSU coach James Franklin on Saturday. They’re both big and physical up front, led by confident quarterbacks, tough defense and want to run it down your throat.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to start Thursday in the Orange Bowl against sixth-seeded Penn State, enabling the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish and their trademark ground game to operate at — or near — full capacity in the first College Football Playoff semifinal.