MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Notre Dame took advantage of a crucial Penn State turnover with under a minute left and made the game-winning field goal with seven seconds remaining to pull out a 27-24 win in the Orange Bowl and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff championship game.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was intercepted in Penn State territory with 33 seconds to play, leading to a 41-yard field goal by Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter. The Fighting Irish will meet the Cotton Bowl winner between Texas and Ohio State on Monday, Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Down 10-0 with two minutes left in the second quarter and 24-17 with just under eight minutes to play, Notre Dame answered with a surprisingly explosive passing game, including a game-changing touchdown pass of 54 yards to wide receiver Jaden Greathouse to even the game at 24-24 with 4:38 remaining.

A game of runs — Penn State scored the first 10 points and Notre Dame the next 17 points — came down to which quarterback made the critical mistake. That was Allar, who had turned his game around in the fourth quarter but made a costly decision on a rollout on the Nittany Lions’ penultimate possession.

The Nittany Lions were held to 63 rushing yards in the second half after going for 141 yards in the first half, which more than the Irish had allowed combined in playoff wins against Indiana and Georgia.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard went 15 of 23 for 223 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, with another 35 yards on the ground. The senior briefly left the game after being driven to the ground by two Penn State defenders on Notre Dame’s final possession of the first half. He was replaced by backup Steve Angeli but returned to the start the third quarter.

Robbed off his normal explosiveness due to a knee injury, running back Jeremiyah Love still managed a team-high 45 yards. Aneyas Williams had 83 yards of total offense. Greathouse led all players with 105 receiving yards.

Penn State’s Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 166 yards on 34 carries, with Singleton accounting for all three of the team’s touchdowns.

All-America tight end Ty Warren had 75 receiving yards and 21 yards on the ground for the Nittany Lions. Allar started slowly and finished with 135 passing yards and the one costly turnover.

After the first scoreless first quarter in the Orange Bowl since Louisville and Wake Forest in 2007, the Nittany Lions got on the board with a short field goal to open the second quarter. Later, Penn State went 90 yards in 15 plays across more than seven minutes, capped by a Singleton touchdown run, to take a 10-0 lead with 2:18 remaining in the quarter.

Angeli took over for Leonard near midfield and drove the Irish in range for a 41-yard field goal by kicker Mitch Jeter as time expired to make it 10-3 at the break.

With Leonard back under center, Notre Dame’s offense responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the second half keyed by a 36-yard completion to Williams. The Irish had three completions of 30 or more yards after having just nine on the season heading into Thursday night.

Notre Dame went ahead 17-10 on a Love touchdown run from two yards out less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Hit behind the line of scrimmage, Love wriggled away from multiple tacklers and dragged another Penn State defender into the end zone.

Penn State tied the score on the ensuing possession, retaking momentum with a 75-yard drive lasting 3:45 and ending with a 7-yard touchdown by Singleton. Allar completed all three of his attempts and 57 yards of total offense on the scoring drive.

Leonard’s interception on the first play of the next drive put Penn State in position to retake the lead on another Singleton score with 7:55 to play. The drive included a key pass-interference penalty on Notre Dame that negated an Allar interception.

Again, Notre Dame had the answer. Greathouse broken open on the right sideline when Penn State defensive back slipped in coverage. Greathouse made one potential tackler miss on his way to the end zone.

After tackling Allar short of a first down on a third-down scramble, Notre Dame took over at its 24-yard line with 2:34 to play. Boosted by a 15-yard hands-to-the-face penalty against Nittany Lions defensive lineman Zane Durant, the Irish were able to inch toward makeable field-goal range but were stopped on a Penn State sack with under a minute to go.

The Nittany Lions regained possession at the 15-yard line with 47 seconds to play. But Allar made the game’s biggest mistake: On second down on the 28-yard line, Allar rolled to his left, threw across his body and was intercepted by Christian Gray at the 42-yard line with 33 seconds left.

Leonard found Greathouse again to convert on third down and push the Irish down to the 25-yard line. Leonard then kneeled twice to get the Irish into the middle of the field and set up Jeter’s game-winning field goal.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — You’ve never getting them in a conference now. 

No matter what happens with Notre Dame’s magical College Football Playoff run, no matter where the improbable ride ends, this Irish team will go down as the one that secured the university’s beloved independent model. 

If Notre Dame’s thrilling, last-second 27-24 victory Thursday over Penn State in the CFP Orange Bowl semifinal wasn’t enough, consider the reward for advancing to the national championship game: $20 million.

Notre Dame, everyone, is playing with house money with one game remaining in the CFP. 

“We have the pieces in place now,” Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told USA TODAY Sports late Thursday night outside a wild Irish locker room. “We have a long-term (media rights) deal with NBC, and it’s no secret that the playoff expansion to 12 teams helps us. We feel good about where we are moving forward.”

Just how good? It doesn’t matter who the Irish play from the Cotton Bowl semifinal – Ohio State or Texas – or if it ends in another national title for the storied program, it has no impact on the most important takeaway from this postseason run. 

Notre Dame proved it could do what was, at best, a dream scenario of having its NBC cake and eating College Football Playoff pie, too. The shifting landscape of college football seemingly had Notre Dame in a no-win situation: stay independent and trail the Big Ten and SEC in revenue generation, or believe in the concept of finding the right coach and plan and reach every possible goal on the field.

And bank a load of cash in the process.

It was earlier this week when Penn State coach James Franklin said “everybody should be in a conference” — a direct shot at Notre Dame and its longstanding independent status.

But while college football moved forward this season with an expansion (and contraction) that left the Power Four with three 16-team conferences and one 18-team conference, Notre Dame stood its ground. 

Now we know why. 

The win over Penn State generated a $6 million payout for Notre Dame from the CFP. The breakdown of the complete Irish postseason haul: 

— $4 million for qualifying for the CFP. 

— $4 million for reaching the quarterfinals. 

— $6 million for reaching the semifinals.

— $6 million for reaching the final. 

So when cornerback Christian Gray intercepted an errant throw from Penn State quarterback Drew Allar at the Penn State 42 with less than a minute to play to set up the eventual game-winning 41-yard field goal from Mitch Jeter, Notre Dame had its statement game as a strong, healthy independent.

And a mega payout.  

Notre Dame’s television deal with NBC is estimated to be worth $50 million annually. The CFP payout of $20 million moves Notre Dame to $70 million annually, nearly identical to the high-rent financial neighborhoods of SEC and Big Ten teams.

Bowl Subdivision teams who play in conferences must share their CFP payouts with their conference, and SEC and Big Ten teams will earn an estimated $70 million each. 

If Notre Dame had joined either of those conferences, it would’ve had to share its NBC contract, and College Football Playoff proceeds — or likely eliminate the NBC deal altogether. Now the Irish are standing tall and alone once again in the college football landscape. 

The bonus: they’re one win away from their first national title since 1988.

“These guys are just built different,” said Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman. “This place is so special.”

Not long after the game, after they sang the Notre Dame fight song and celebrated beating another top five team in the CFP, Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden stood outside the locker room and tried to explain what just happened. 

This unthinkable season, which seemed lost in September with a home loss to Northern Illinois, now has the feel of destiny. Somehow, some way, Notre Dame was beaten up by Penn State in the first half, and found a way to trail by only seven. 

Somehow, some way, after Penn State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to take a 24-17 lead, the Irish found a way again. Whether it was the gutty play of quarterback Riley Leonard – briefly knocked out of the game late in the first half and was checked for a concussion – or the dynamic ability of forgotten wideout Jaden Greathouse.

Or a defense that kept getting big stops, including an interception by cornerback Christian Gray that set up the game-winning drive. The ball nearly slipped out of Gray’s hands as he went to the ground, but he carefully scooped and tucked it in.

Golden called a different defensive front and stunt on the interception, and a different coverage. 

“Didn’t play it all game.” he said. “I don’t want to say what it was, but we had to keep them guessing. We needed a stop, a big play. You make the call, feel good about it. We get the pressure, and Christian just makes an unbelievable play. We find a way. It’s happened over and over this season.”

Now there’s one game left, one last dance with a group of players who haven’t buckled in a win or walk scenario since the Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Because Notre Dame doesn’t play in a conference, it doesn’t play in a conference championship game to get an extra data point for the CFP selection committee.

Another loss this season would’ve likely been fatal to its CFP hopes. Instead, the Irish are one win from first national title since beating West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 1988 season — since before the explosion of cable television’s impact on the sport. Before the CFP and the Bowl Championship Series and the Bowl Coalition and Bowl Alliance.

All the way back to the days of backroom postseason deals, when schools and conferences and bowls made decisions based on their best interests. And only after the games was a mythical national champion declared by an alphabet soup of news services.

A win against Ohio State or Texas in the national championship game would be the final step in the season of the unthinkable. But the biggest win, the biggest statement, arrived in the Orange Bowl. 

“This has been a wonderful run,” Bevacqua said. “We have the history, the tradition, and our independence. And we feel we have the best coach in college football.” 

You’re never getting them in a conference now.

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Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Ohio State is the lowest seed remaining in the College Football Playoff, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a significant amount of people that didn’t have the Buckeyes as the favorites to win the national championship in Atlanta on Jan. 20. That’s because Ohio State have rolled through Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon in consecutive matchups with its offense dominating two of the better defenses in the country.

The task of stopping the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl semifinal is Texas. The Longhorns appeared to be cruising to a defeat of Arizona State in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal before a fourth-quarter stumble led to a dramatic overtime victory. With questions on offense, Texas will need to find a way to generate points to keep pace with Ohio State.

In addition to reaching the national championship game, there are also bragging rights at stake with the Buckeyes of the Big Ten facing the Longhorns of the SEC. One conference will be able to puff out its chest at the end of the game. So who wins? Our experts make their picks.

Scooby Axson

If Ohio State gets its offense rolling, it will be up to Texas and Quinn Ewers to keep up and match the Buckeyes score for score. The problem is that the Longhorns have shown a tendency to stall on offense and to blow leads, which can turn a possible comfortable victory into having to make plays down the stretch. The $20 million train rolls along, and the Michigan debacle looks and feels more like a distant memory than anything. Ohio State 34, Texas 21.

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Jordan Mendoza

Ohio State has by far looked like a national championship winning team. But what’s been the key for the Buckeyes have been the blazing hot starts that has made a comeback seem impossible. The Texas defense, after a shaky second half against Arizona State, can’t fall behind early if it wants to move onto the national title. The unit is unable to contain Jeremiah Smith and company the Buckeyes punch their ticket to Atlanta. Ohio State 31, Texas 20.

Paul Myerberg

Ohio State won’t be stopped. Texas will need to play its best game of the year (or maybe the decade, if not the generation) to upend the mighty Buckeyes. While Quinn Ewers played well late in the Peach Bowl, the Longhorns’ general lack of consistency on offense will eventually help OSU pull away and score another double-digit win. Ohio State 38, Texas 27.

Erick Smith

In the postseason, sometimes pregame expectations are met and momentum carries through to the next round. The vast majority of people anticipate Ohio State continuing its playoff domination against Texas. But what if the Longhorns might be benefiting from overconfidence from the Buckeyes? That’s certainly a possibility given the way the quarterfinals went for both teams. It’ll take a huge effort from quarterback Quinn Ewers and the Texas offense to pull off the upset. It probably won’t happen. Just don’t be surprised if this game is closer than you think. Ohio State 28, Texas 24.

Eddie Timanus

Texas is going to have to be just about perfect to hang with the Buckeyes – and it won’t be. The Longhorns will get points, but not nearly enough. A first-half interception will allow Ohio State to build a multiple-score lead it won’t relinquish. Ohio State 45, Texas 24.

Dan Wolken

If the Buckeyes’ offense keeps operating at the level it has produced for the first two CFP games, this one won’t be close. Sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get explosive plays out of Texas’ offense, and they will need more than a few in this game to keep pace. The Longhorns’ defense has been good all season, but there were some serious cracks in the quarterfinals against Arizona State and the level of perimeter skill they have to account for in this game is unlike anything they’ve seen all year. Ohio State deserves to be the favorite here. Ohio State 38, Texas 17.

The NFL didn’t wait any longer for what was trending toward an inevitable decision.

The league announced Thursday evening that – ‘(i)n the interest of public safety’ – Monday night’s wild-card game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings, which was scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, will be moved to Arizona due to the wildfires that continue to rage through the greater Los Angeles area.

‘The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA,’ the league also revealed in a statement.

‘The game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes at its scheduled 8:00 p.m. ET time. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Friday morning through Seatgeek.com for Rams Season Ticket Members and Noon PT to the general public. More information on ticket sales will be provided as soon as possible.’

The game will now be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, the Arizona Cardinals’ home.

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The Rams had signaled to their fans earlier Thursday continued plans to play at SoFi, but those intentions were superseded by ongoing safety and logistical issues in Southern California, not to mention the outbreak of another fire near the team’s practice facility in Woodland Hills. Proximity to that blaze prompted the Rams to send their players home early.

At least five fires were active in Los Angeles County, devastating more than 40 square miles across the region, according to Cal Fire. Tens of thousands of Los Angeles County residents have been forced to evacuate their homes.

‘Every time we suit up, we’re the Los Angeles Rams. We play for the people in this community, the people that support us, and this week will be another example of that,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said Thursday prior to the announcement.

“Hopefully it’ll be a great escape for people who’ve been going through a lot of tough times here the last couple days.”

Prior to Thursday, no NFL playoff game had ever been relocated during the Super Bowl era, which dates to 1966. The league did pull Super Bowl 27, which was the capstone of the 1992 season, out of Arizona when the state refused to make Martin Luther King Day a holiday in 1990. The game was finally played in Tempe, Arizona, in 1996.

However this is not the first time the NFL has moved a Monday night contest from Southern California due to wildfires. A matchup between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins in 2003 had to be shifted to Tempe. The displaced Chargers lost 26-10.

The Bolts, who relocated from San Diego to LA in 2017, have also experienced disruption ahead of their wild-card game Saturday in Houston against the AFC South champion Texans. The Chargers altered their practice schedule Wednesday due to air quality issues and wound up flying to Texas on Thursday afternoon.

This story has been updated with new information.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

The New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars will be part of the International Series, the NFL announced Friday.

The Jets and Browns will play different opponents at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the home team, while the Jaguars will have their home game at Wembley Stadium. It will be Jacksonville’s 14th season playing in London.

The league, which can schedule up to eight league-operated regular-season games internationally, will also have teams play next season in Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and at Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

The NFL official schedule release with the kickoff dates and times will be revealed in the spring.

For the Jets, next year’s game in London will be their fifth international game, while the Browns have played in one regular-season game in London.

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The Jets lost to the Minnesota Vikings 23-17 last season in London, and the Browns’ one game in London also resulted in a loss to the Vikings, 33-16, in 2017.