Notre Dame outlasted Penn State in a 27-24 thriller to reach the program's first national championship game since 2012 in the Orange Bowl. Thanks to the 12-team College Football Playoff format, the Fighting Irish officially became the first team to win multiple bowl games in the same season.

Bowl season culminates with the College Football Playoff National Championship, which will crown the first champion of the new 12-team playoff on Monday, January 20. Next up in deciding the two teams that will ultimately play in that championship game are the CFP quarterfinals, which conclude on New Year’s Day with three matchups.

College football's bowl games began in 1902 to crown the sport's best team but have since evolved into a postseason spectacle of tradition and entertainment.