As the College Football Playoff heads into the semifinals, the 2025 Orange Bowl odds are available for a highly anticipated showdown! The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions square off for the right to go to the CFP Championship.
Continue reading to check out the latest odds, prop bets, and my Orange Bowl predictions!
Orange Bowl 2025 Odds and Betting Lines
The following odds for Orange Bowl are courtesy of Bovada:
| TEAM | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | -2.5 (-110) | -135 | Over 45.5 (-110) |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | +2.5 (-110) | +115 | Under 45.5 (-110) |
According to the latest Orange Bowl betting odds at college football sportsbooks, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-1) are favored to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions (13-2). The moneyline suggests Notre Dame has a 57.4% implied probability to beat Penn State on Thursday night.
Currently, the Orange Bowl betting lines favor Notre Dame on the point spread by slightly less than a field goal at -2.5. If you are interested in wagering on the spread, the Fighting Irish will have to win by at least a field goal. Lastly, oddsmakers expect a low-scoring contest, as the over/under is set at 45.5 points.
For up-to-date Orange Bowl odds at Bovada, navigate to All Sports > Football > College Football > Notre Dame vs. Penn State. The bookmaker also offers Cotton Bowl odds and betting lines.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-135)
Notre Dame will make their third trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Orange Bowl this year. They were chased off the field in their first appearance against Clemson in 2018-19. Two years later, the Fighting Irish failed in the semifinals again, with a 31-14 loss to Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Third time’s a charm for the Fighting Irish? They are coming off a 23-10 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs. Notre Dame won the turnover battle, and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the win. That was essentially the difference in this game. It was a prototypical Notre Dame football win.
This is an old-school squad that likes to run the football and play defense. Head coach Marcus Freeman has a simple, yet effective philosophy. With a dangerous backfield led by RB Jeremiyah Love and QB Riley Leonard’s running talent, the Fighting Irish are a dangerous unit on the ground.
RILEY. LEONARD.
📺 ESPN #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/NfDHP6vqpf
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 3, 2025
Notre Dame is 12th in the FBS, with 217.6 rushing yards per game. However, it’s worth noting that Love is not expected to be at 100% for the Orange Bowl. He is dealing with a knee injury that has been bothering him over the last few weeks. Injuries have been a concern for the Fighting Irish throughout the season.
They lost five starters during the regular season, and the hits kept coming this week. TE Cooper Flanagan injured his Achilles and was ruled out for the rest of the year. In any event, Notre Dame keeps finding a way to win games despite the injuries. As I noted, this is a team based on working the running game and playing stout defense.
Notre Dame is sixth in the nation, with 295.4 yards against per game. Additionally, the Fighting Irish are second, averaging a scoring margin of +24.1 points this season! They are on a 12-game win streak since a shocking 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in September.
However, do the injuries finally take their toll against a disciplined Penn State squad?
Penn State Nittany Lions (+115)
The Nittany Lions were a team that benefited greatly from the expanded 12-team playoff. On the outside looking in as a fringe top-4 team in the prior era, Penn State reached the 2024-25 CFP as a No. 6 seed. Head coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions haven’t been overwhelmed by the moment.
They are coming off a 38-10 win over the SMU Mustangs and registered a victory 31-14 over the Boise State Broncos. The Fiesta Bowl champs can add another trophy to their mantle against Notre Dame this week. That being said, the Orange Bowl 2025 betting odds give Penn State less than a 50% chance of winning.
You wouldn’t know it by looking at their performance against Boise State. The Nittany Lions are a well-balanced team that does a lot of the same things the Fighting Irish do well. They run the ball efficiently and are aggressive defensively. However, what Penn State does better is throwing the ball around the yard with QB Drew Allar.
The play action is dangerous downfield for the Nittany Lions. When Allar is slinging it, Penn State gains an advantage over teams that match up similarly. The QB has passed for 3,192 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 67.4% completions. Since Oct. 26, Allar has thrown 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. He and TE Tyler Warren have been terrorizing defenses.
TYLER WARREN'S SECOND TD OF THE DAY 😮
He extends the lead for the Nittany Lions 🏈 pic.twitter.com/kulMW52CNb
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2025
Like Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions can also run the ball. They are 16th in the country, averaging 202.2 yards per game against tough defenses in the Big Ten. The two-headed monster of RB Kaytron Allen and RB Nicholas Singleton will be a load for Notre Dame to slow down. Allen and Singleton both eclipsed 1,000 yards and have more than 5.1 yards per carry.
Defensively, Penn State and Notre Dame match up evenly. They are tied for fourth in the FBS, with 4.4 yards allowed per play. Penn State is a hair stronger statistically, with 288.9 yards conceded per game, as opposed to 295.4 for the Fighting Irish. The Nittany Lions have had a strong average win margin, too, at +17.9 for sixth in the FBS.
Orange Bowl 2025 Predictions and Betting Pick
The Orange Bowl should be a quality game between two evenly matched squads. There isn’t much separating these schools, but I believe Penn State is being highly overlooked in this one.
Notre Dame managed to beat Georgia behind a kickoff return and against an inexperienced backup quarterback. The injuries were a concern going into that matchup. However, they were fortunate not to face a competent quarterback.
In the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame won’t have that luxury against a confident Allar. He can be a streaky, hot and cold quarterback, but right now, the signal caller is hot and throwing with authority.
Along with a dangerous running game, expect Allar and Warren to give the Fighting Irish secondary fits. In a game that goes right down to the wire, my prediction for the Orange Bowl is that Penn State will win a nail-biter. It could be a one or two-point final, so the underdog against the spread presents strong betting value at +2.5!
Best Orange Bowl 2025 Player Props
Let’s conclude our 2025 Orange Bowl preview with my best player props for Penn State vs. Notre Dame. There are a couple of prop bets worth including on your Orange Bowl betting card, so check these out below:
Total Receiving Yards: Harrison Wallace III (PSU) Over 41.5 (-125)
- Over 41.5 (-125)
- Under 41.5 (-105)
Penn State WR Harrison Wallace III is set to have a productive contest with the Notre Dame defense looking elsewhere. Look for Notre Dame to attempt to blanket Warren. As a result, the Fighting Irish will likely need to have a safety watching him closely at all times.
This should free up Wallace III downfield in the secondary for the Nittany Lions. He enters Thursday night with 46 receptions, 723 yards, and four touchdowns this season. Note that Wallace III has eclipsed 41 yards in nine of his previous ten starts!
Although he came just short of that mark against Boise State, Wallace III should have more opportunities with an added emphasis on stopping Warren. This total is about five yards too short, so consider the over 41.5 for your Orange Bowl prop bets!
Total Receiving+Rushing Yards: Kaytron Allen (PSU) Over 62.5 (-115)
- Over 62.5 (-115)
- Under 62.5 (-115)
RB Kaytron Allen played a huge role in the win over Boise State. He galloped for 134 yards on 17 carries. This was after Allen scored two touchdowns and gained 70 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving versus SMU.
Additionally, Allen showed up in a big way against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. He rushed for 124 yards and 15 yards receiving to go with a touchdown. Allen has proven that the stage isn’t too big for the 5’11” junior from Norfolk, VA.
Against an aggressive Notre Dame defense, expect Allar to look for Allen in the passing game. He should pick up some receiving yardage underneath as a safety valve, so the combined over rushing/receiving prop is worth considering for your Orange Bowl betting picks.
Where to Bet on the 2025 Orange Bowl?
The best 2025 Orange Bowl odds can be located at a variety of offshore sportsbooks! For our top recommendation, Bovada is a must for your CFP bets this year. Bovada has an extensive betting menu, including team and player props, live betting, and pre-match Orange Bowl betting lines.
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