‘Gives a lot of teams a chance.’ Fans bring flair, love for 12-team CFP format to Orange Bowl
An old-school, full Notre Dame uniform. A full tinsel outfit with a giant, neon Nittany Lion logo sign adorned on the chest. And a man who wore both Notre Dame and Penn State gear but swore he was not crazy.
“I promise I’m not bipolar,” former NBC 6 reporter Willard Sheppard quipped, explaining that he had family at Notre Dame and that one of his Air Force buddies attended Penn State.
Fans of both the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions descend upon Hard Rock Stadium ahead of Thursday’s College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Orange Bowl, bringing their unique flair and love for the new CFP format with them.
“Hell yeah,” Connor Walsh said when asked whether he liked the expanded CFP. A resident of Vero Beach, Walsh came fully dressed in a Leprechaun costume complete with matching light-up shoes. “It gives a lot of teams a chance.”
The sheer energy throughout Hard Rock Stadium was electric. Chants of “We Are” answered by “Penn State” could be heard throughout. Leprechaun hats stood out like little, green thumbs. And nearly half of the stands looked angelic, an ode to Penn State coach James Franklin’s call for a whiteout.
“Obviously I love Penn State and I love attention,” said Marice Leo whose matching white tinsel jacket and pants seemingly glowed with the help of her blue Nittany Lion sign.
Leo and her family traveled from New Jersey to support her Nittany Lions. She had worn a similar tinsel outfit to Penn State’s first-round matchup against Southern Methodist University – “I love the hometown playoff game,” she added despite being admittedly “freezing” — but decided to take it a step further with the neon sign. And while Leo was ecstatic that Penn State could be in the national championship this time next week, she just hopes that interest doesn’t wain over time.
“James Franklin asked for a whiteout so I had to bring it,” Leo said, adding that she “loves that the college football playoffs has expanded but I hope that people whose team isn’t in still have interest in the game.”
The 2024 CFP marked the first time that 12-teams made the single-elimination tournament. Both squads — the seventh-seeded Notre Dame and sixth-seeded Penn State – wouldn’t have even made it this far in years past as the CFP used to solely be limited to four teams. In just one year, the CFP’s expansion has somewhat proved its worth considering the top four teams had early exits.
“Look at the top four – they all lost,” Walsh said, referring to No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State and No. 4 Arizona State, all of which came up short in last week’s quarterfinal matchups.
Though the Fighting Irish have lost every time Walsh went full Leprechaun, he hopes that this year will be different. To do so, they might want to consider the use of Joe McCrink who came dressed ready to play in his Notre Dame jersey, unpadded pants and helmet. A Miami native, McCrink regularly attends the Orange Bowl yet he hasn’t been able to see his favorite team in the game since Alabama pummeled Notre Dame in 2013.
As for his decision to dress ready to play, it was ultimately out of his hands.
“I found it,” McCrink quipped, “and then my wife said ‘You to have wear it.’”
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 10:15 PM.
