Since Notre Dame's season finale win in Los Angeles against USC on November 30, star running back Jeremiyah Love hasn't been quite right. He still dazzled with a 98-yard touchdown run in the first round of the College Football Playoff game against Indiana, while also battling a cold, but it was clear to see he was still not feeling quite right.

The Fighting Irish had gone more than 30 years since their last major bowl win. But with a bruising defense and blistering outburst of 17 points in 54 seconds, they knocked off Georgia to advance to the playoff semifinals.

Notre Dame and Penn State playing in a college football game with national title implications? What decade is it? Neither classic power won a game in the four-team era of the College Football Playoff,