When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions meet in the Orange Bowl on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN), it will be a clash of teams with more history than younger fans might remember.
While the Nittany Lions will enter the matchup as representatives of the Big Ten, Penn State was independent at one point, like Notre Dame. Unsurprisingly, the two teams have crossed paths plenty of times -- including a 12-season stretch in the 1980s and '90s when they met every season. Each team's most recent national championship season (1988 for the Irish, 1986 for the Nittany Lions) included a win over the other.
And with the series matchup tied at 9-9-1, the winner on Thursday will enjoy bragging rights in the series for the immediate future.
These are some of the most notable of those 19 prior meetings.
2007: Penn State 31, Notre Dame 10
The most recent meeting was far from the most tense on the field -- Penn State led by multiple scores for almost the entire second half. It also held little consequence on the overall season as the Irish finished with their worst record (3-9) since the 1960s while the Nittany Lions ended just 4-4 in Big Ten play.
However, it does hold an important footnote in Penn State history.
While wearing white in Happy Valley had existed as a student section staple for years, the 2007 contest marked a full-stadium White Out -- the first official edition of the tradition as it's known today.
1992: Notre Dame 17, Penn State 16
In the last game the Irish and Nittany Lions would play for a decade and a half, a thrilling ending separated the sides at a snowy Notre Dame Stadium.
With Notre Dame trailing 16-9 late, a touchdown pass from Rick Mirer to running back Jerome Bettis put the Irish an extra point away from tying the score. But with college football still years away from adopting overtime, the game would have ended with the tie.
Not interested in a stalemate, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz opted to go for a 2-point conversion and the win. Mirer again came up clutch, finding running back Reggie Brooks in the back of the end zone to secure the victory.
1990: Penn State 24, Notre Dame 21
Penn State's 1990 upset of the then-No. 1 Irish is notable ahead of Thursday's clash, particularly because of who the heroes of the day were for the Nittany Lions.
Though Penn State trailed at halftime by two scores, quarterback Tony Sacca eventually found tight end Al Golden for a 14-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 21, before freshman kicker Craig Fayak drilled the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Thursday, Golden will look to once again to shape the matchup's history -- this time as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator. Golden won't be the only 1990 Nittany Lion on the sideline at the Orange Bowl -- Terry Smith, who caught a touchdown of his own in the first quarter, is Penn State's cornerbacks coach.
1987: Penn State 21, Notre Dame 20
Like the 1992 clash, the 1987 battle between the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish came down to a late 2-point conversion as Holtz sought a win instead of a tie. Unlike 1992, Penn State's defense stood tall and stopped Notre Dame's attempt, effectively clinching victory with 31 seconds remaining.
Though the Irish's Tim Brown would go on to win the Heisman that season, the star of the game was Nittany Lions running back Blair Thomas -- who carried the ball 35 times for over 200 rushing yards and a score.
1976: Notre Dame 20 Penn State 9
Despite a history of compelling regular-season contests, the two schools have met in the postseason only once, in the 1976 Gator Bowl.
Penn State opened the scoring with a first-quarter field goal, but Notre Dame would tally the next 20 points to build a 20-3 halftime lead the Irish wouldn't relinquish. Though both teams entered the game with at least three losses, the Gator Bowl proved to be a strong jumping off point for both squads into 1977. Notre Dame would capture the national championship that season, while the Nittany Lions finished 11-1.