Notable moments from past Notre Dame-Penn State matchups - ESPN

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