College football Playoffs: (6) Penn State vs. (7) Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl

The College Football Playoffs resume tonight with (6) Penn State playing (7) Our Lady in the Capital Orange bowl. This is the first of two games that will decide the College Football Championship game on Jan. 20.

I'm not sure how many people saw Penn State and Notre Dame one step away from the championship game. However, in the second round of the play-offs, each division winner unexpectedly lost. That leaves us with the teams that were good enough to avoid the bottom third of the seeding, but not quite good enough to get a bye week.

There will be NFL players on each team in tonight's game, and it's possible (even likely) that we'll see future New York Giants on the field tonight and tomorrow. And since we look at these games from both a concept perspective and from a love of the game, we're going to run with it.

Capital One Orange Bowl – (6) Penn State vs. (7) Notre Dame

ESPN – 7:30 p.m

Penn State

We need to start talking about quarterback Drew Allar. Allar has previously said he plans to return to Penn State for the 2025 season. However, there are still those in the media and around NFL front offices who believe the word is intended to do a lot of work. There is a belief (or perhaps hope) that a deep playoff run, or a national championship, as well as the lure of a potential Top 5 selection could lead to Allar declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Allar has played spectacularly well from the end of the Penn States season thus far, and while I agreed with him returning to school, I can see him being a sought-after prospect. Allar is a developmental prospect at this point, and more of a trait-based prospect than a polished passer. He has prototypical size and arm strength, as well as good athleticism for that size. Allar may not be a Lamar Jackson-type runner, but he moves well for a player who stands about 6-foot-4 and weighs 240 pounds. If Allar's season ultimately ends on a high note, recency bias and excitement about his tools could easily land him QB3, if not QB2.

Of course, he's not yet a polished passer and has only been a starter for two seasons.

• Dani Dennis-Sutton (EDGE/DE)

Last time we talked about Abdul Carter, the hyper-athletic off-ball linebacker turned edge defender. For this game I want to talk about his bookend, Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sutton lives in Carter's shadow and could be more of a mid-round option (barring a great draft process, which is always possible). He's built like a classic 4-3 defensive end at 6-foot-1, 270 pounds, with the length and strength to withstand offensive tackles at the edge.

As things stand now, we don't know what the Giants' defensive scheme will look like in 2025 (or beyond), so we can't confidently rule out 4-3 DEs in favor of guys who can play more roles.

Dennis-Sutton is a capable pass rusher thanks to his play strength and hustle, but he is at his best when defending the run. He is a disciplined run defender and has a strong pursuit motor. Considering the Giants defense struggled through the first two-thirds of the season, they might want to take a look at him if the value is right.

Our Lady

We might as well stay on the defensive side of the ball. I'd love to talk about their top talent, CB Benjamin Morrison, but he's been out for a while due to injury, as has DL. Rylie Mills is also out. But take the opportunity to look at a familiar name to Giants fans.

Howard Cross III is the son of former Giants tight end Howard Cross. The younger Cross returned to Notre Dame for his sixth year in 2024, and it seems like it was a good idea. He is an undersized defender, listed at 6-foot-1, 288 pounds, but makes up for that with good speed, high motor and solid playing strength that benefits from his natural leverage. Cross III won't be a high round draft pick, but he can be a productive role player in a variety of defenses. His size suggests he could be limited to a one-gap defense at the NFL level and could fall below some teams' thresholds.

Cross would likely compete directly with Elijah Chatman for the Giants, but drafting a second-generation Giant would be a nice wrinkle for 2025.