“Who’s doubting Notre Dame, now?”

That was a popular refrain on Twitter (currently known as X) Thursday night after the Fighting Irish survived Penn State by a score of 27-24 in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Obviously, it wasn’t just any other Orange Bowl, it was the semifinals of the first-ever 12-team college football national championship tournament. Maybe that’s why people were doubting the Irish. I mean, let’s face it, despite their name recognition and national following, they really hadn’t done anything substantial in quite a while. Notre Dame hasn’t won a national title since 1988 and, going into Thursday night’s affair, it hadn’t even played for one since the 2012 season. OK, to be fair, the Irish did appear in the four-team College Football Playoff twice in recent years–2019 and 2021–but they lost in the semifinals each time and were smoked pretty badly by Clemson and Alabama, respectively. As for the aforementioned title game appearance following the 2012 season? You guessed it: Notre Dame was shellacked by the Crimson Tide by four touchdowns.

Fortunately for the Fighting Irish, they faced another program on Thursday night that, despite its name recognition and national following (and some might say an even more entitled fan base), hadn’t won a championship since the 1980s. I’m talking about Penn State, of course. Its last national title was in 1986; the Nittany Lions hadn’t played for a championship for decades and didn’t even make an appearance in the semifinals during the four-team playoff era.

Maybe that’s because Penn State could never defeat the juggernauts of its own Big Ten Conference. I’m talking about Michigan and Ohio State. Sure, the Nittany Lions often had their way with the programs on or below their level, but they always threw up when trying to eat at the adult table.

Things weren’t much different for Penn State in 2024. Michigan may have had a down year, but Oregon, a program that joined the Big Ten this season, took the Wolverines’ place as a national juggernaut. The Nittany Lions lost to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game. That defeat came just weeks after losing at home to Ohio State. Once again, Penn State came up short against the top teams in its own conference. Thankfully for the Nittany Lions and their fans, their resume was good enough to garner an at-large invite to the first-ever 12 team tournament.

Despite entering the tournament as the sixth seed, many thought the Nittany Lions had a pretty easy path to the semifinals. They blew out SMU at home in the first round before taking on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos may have been seeded third and may have earned a bye into the second round, but they were ranked below Penn State in the final AP poll. The Nittany Lions dispatched Boise State almost as easily as they did SMU.

Notre Dame entered the field as the seventh seed and faced a one-loss Indiana squad at home in the first round. The Irish had their way with Indiana, but a rested and nationally tested Georgia program awaited them in the Sugar Bowl. Surely, Notre Dame would run into a brick wall against this SEC powerhouse, right? Nope. Instead, the Irish were the brick wall in a 23-10 victory.

So, the Irish were for real. Maybe Penn State was, too. The game came down to a field goal in the last seconds, so I’m sure either team would have been an excellent representative in the National Title Game.

But Notre Dame will be that representative.

As for Penn State? It once again failed to live up to its past by coming up short against a national power. Only, this time, that national power was one that also spent many years trying to live up to its past.

So, who’s doubting Notre Dame, now? Nobody, at least not until it faces the winner of Friday’s Cotton Bowl–either Texas or Ohio State–in the National Championship Game on January 20.

Depending on the outcome of that game, it may again be fashionable to doubt the Fighting Irish.