Penn State will have to wait to know its Orange Bowl opponent after Sugar Bowl postponement

After Penn State’s Fiesta Bowl win over Boise State 31-14 in the quarterfinals of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions await the winner of the Sugar Bowl between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 2 Georgia in the Orange Bowl CFP semifinal on Thursday, January 9. However, James Franklin and his team will have to wait a day longer to know their opponent as the Sugar Bowl has been postponed 24 hours following the New Year’s attack in New Orleans that left at least 10 dead. 

"We have been in consultation with ESPN, with the College Football Playoff, with the Southeastern Conference, with the University of Georgia, with Notre Dame, all parties," Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said in a January 1, press conference. "And all agree that it's in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours.”

The FBI has referred to the attack as a terrorist act and in the wake of the night’s events, the Sugar Bowl, FBI, and city officials have deemed it in everyone’s best interest to postpone the event and ensure that the area is safe. Reporting live from the Superdome in New Orleans during halftime of the Peach Bowl, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge told Rece Davis that the venue was swept for explosives and deemed safe enough for entry, but both Georgia and Notre Dame are essentially on lockdown in their hotels and will remain there throughout the day. 

There has been no talk of postponing the subsequent Orange Bowl, which the winner of the Sugar Bowl will only have a week to prepare for, two days fewer than Penn State, the only advancing team that played on New Year’s Eve instead of New Year’s Day. The Nittany Lions were already set to have a rest advantage over their opponent for the CFP semifinal, and while it is not anticipated at this time, that could lead to changes to the schedule for the Orange Bowl.