THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH It's not the luck of the Irish. It's the skill, the grit, the perseverance, the clutch factor. Notre Dame beat Penn State, 27-24, in the Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Late mistakes from Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and questionable decisions from head coach James Franklin led to Notre Dame winning the Orange Bowl

But over the past month, as he got healthy, he turned into "Mr. January." As a result, Notre Dame is headed to its first national championship game since 2013, with an opportunity to win its first national title since 1988.