Elite depth, the staple of so many recent national champions, is harder to maintain in the NIL/portal era of player transience.

Notre Dame will be without a tight end as it sits two wins away from its first national championship in 36 years.

The first round of the College Football Playoff was a disappointment, but no adjustments should have been made to the 12 teams selected. Here is why.

The Story: When the Irish lost 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, Notre Dame’s odds of winning the national title ballooned to 100-1. Twelve wins later, including two by double digits in the playoffs, and they are listed at 7-1.

The first College Football Playoff semifinal will feature Penn State and Notre Dame. A breakdown of the keys to victory in the Orange Bowl.

The Buckeyes’ defense will be tested by the high-flying Longhorns, who are 13-2 and rank 21st in scoring. Texas lost to Georgia twice this year but bounced back to beat Clemson in the first round and Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, approaching 40 points in both victories.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions will go at it in the College Football Playoffs on Thursday, here's how to watch.

The CFP semifinals kick off Thursday with two 1980s rivals, Notre Dame and Penn State, playing a game that almost couldn't possibly be closer on paper, and then the hottest team in all the land (Ohio State) facing Texas and its clutch former Buckeyes quarterback ( Quinn Ewers) on Friday.