Under Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame has lost at home against the likes of Marshall, Northern Illinois and Stanford. He's only been a head coach for three years and, largely due to Notre Dame's status as an independent,

O n Thursday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl, which doubles as one of the college football playoff semifinals. The game marks the latest of Notre Dame’s many successes on the gridiron.

Notre Dame receives another huge pay day compared to other CFP teams after advancing to the national championship game.

Just four teams remain in pursuit of a college football national championship. It all gets underway later tonight, when Notre Dame takes on Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The winner of that game will face the winner of Friday night’s Cotton Bowl Classic between Texas and Ohio State.

While the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are celebrating their Orange Bowl victory this week, the rest of the college football world is debating if they should be in a conference. Before the Orange Bowl even kicked off on Thursday night,

Notre Dame likes its independence in football, especially as its on the cusp of playing for the national title.

Notre Dame's independent status has long been a unique feature of college football, but its latest $20 million reward for making the College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship has reignited debates over whether the Fighting Irish should be forced to join a conference.