It's been a long time since either Notre Dame or Penn State reached college football's mountaintop as national champions. It was 1988 for the Fighting Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions. There's been good seasons and bad seasons in the three-plus decades that have followed, coaching changes and a complete overhaul of what the sport looks like. Yet here they are — back again, on the doorstep of a title shot. The loss to Northern Illinois is no longer relevant to Notre Dame. The losses to Ohio State and Oregon don't matter to Penn State right now. The Irish (13-1) and Nittany Lions (13-2) face off in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night, the first of two College Football Playoff semifinal games; the other is Friday when Texas takes on Ohio State. MORE: https://www.wthr.com/article/sports/local-sports/notre-dame-penn-state-orange-bowl-college-football-playoff-cfp-semifinal/531-4e820def-c8e5-4812-99c5-18fe2e3cefa0