Half of the finale of the first 12-team College Football Playoff is set: Following a frantic final 10 minutes in Miami, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to the title game with a 27-24 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions. On Friday night, we'll find out who the Fighting Irish, a banged-up team of destiny, will face. Will it be a Texas Longhorns team that, like Notre Dame, keeps finding a way late? Or will it be the Ohio State Buckeyes, by far the best team of the playoff's first two rounds?
Here are the takeaways from the epic first semifinal:
