MIAMI —Two blue-blood college football programs go toe-to-toe with a trip to the National Championship on the line.

Much of the Susquehanna Valley will be glued to their televisions on Thursday night to see Penn State take on Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

History is a big storyline surrounding Thursday’s game against the Fighting Irish.

In their first matchup since 2007, Penn State and Notre Dame face off for the 20th time in program history, with the series tied at 9-9-1.

This is just the second time that the two teams have battled in a bowl game, the last coming in the 1976 Gator Bowl, which was won by Notre Dame.

Speaking of that 2007 game, Penn State won that matchup 31-10 in Happy Valley.

The bowl itself is notable.

The Nittany Lions will make their sixth appearance in the Orange Bowl and have a 4-1 record in their previous five games.

Both head coaches know their fanbases are hungry for a win and recognize that their squads are going to have to give everything they have to come out on top.

“Ultimately, it’s about Penn State, and it’s about Notre Dame and our teams going out and competing and representing our schools, our conferences, well our conference, and college football,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said.

“Looking forward to a great opportunity tomorrow night against an extremely good football team. As Coach Franklin said, I have a lot of respect for him and the job he has done in college football and this football team. It’s a very good one that we have to continue to prepare for,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said.

The fans will be starting to fill the seats at Hard Rock Stadium as we inch closer to kickoff.