The Fighting Irish (13-1) and the Nittany Lions (13-2) will square off Thursday in Miami, proud programs in pursuit of their first national championship since the 1980s.

The Notre Dame football team can do a lot of damage on the ground, but they don't possess a huge threat through the air. The Fighting Irish rank 108 out of 133 teams in passing offense. Quarterback Riley Leonard has 2,383 passing yards on the season, and he has 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.

It's been a long time since either Notre Dame or Penn State reached college football's mountaintop as national champions. It was 1988 for the Fighting Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions. There's been good seasons and bad seasons in the three-plus decades that have followed,