When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions meet in the Orange Bowl on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN), it will be a clash of teams with more history than younger fans might remember.
While the Nittany Lions will enter the matchup as representatives of the Big Ten, Penn State was independent at one point, like Notre Dame. Unsurprisingly, the two teams have crossed paths plenty of times -- including a 12-season stretch in the 1980s and '90s when they met every season. Each team's most recent national championship season (1988 for the Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions) included a win over the other.