Notre Dame talks preparation for Orange Bowl

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- The Irish are one win away from punching their ticket to the National Championship, but the focus in being in the moment.

Notre Dame's football program is riding a 12-game win streak and are looking to make history. A win in the 2025 Orange Bowl over the Penn State Nittany Lions, will put the Irish in position to win the National Championship for the first time since 1988.

That's what Head Coach Marcus Freeman and his team are hearing. The success of Notre Dame in Freeman's third year at helm, is plastered everywhere. Expectations are high, but team wants to stay in the moment and ignore the noise.

"Probably louder (noise) this week than it's ever been. I think it's human nature to enjoy people saying good things about you. It's human nature. But we've talked all year about being misfits, right? And that's what we have to continue to be," Freeman said.

It's a great opportunity for the team, who loss to Northern Illinois in week two. Just about everyone wrote this team off and now they're headed to the semifinals in the College Football Playoffs.

"Come to a place like Notre Dame, you play for games like this, you play for games like Georgia, play for games like Indiana in the first round of playoffs, and you certainly play for games to get to the national championship. But we got an unbelievable opportunity on our hands coming up on Thursday," Offensive Lineman Pat Coogan said.

"I couldn't ask for a better story, man, there's been teams like this in the past. You know, may have one loss early in the season and then make it all the way and things like that. But we're not done yet, and that's hopefully we get to make it to the national championship play in that game and win it all. But right now, we're just focused on this week," Receiver Beaux Collins added.