Notre Dame fell to Northern Illinois, a 28-point underdog, in one of the most stunning defeats in the program's storied history. The then-No. 5 Fighting Irish not only lost to the Huskies at home, but they were manhandled by a Mid-American Conference program that had never beaten an AP top-10 opponent.

It often is said that football games are won on the margins. If that's true in this Orange Bowl, Notre Dame's College Football Playoff stay might be 30 minutes away from coming to an end. Penn State has looked like the better team,