The Real Pressure Heading Into The Orange Bowl Is On The Girlfriends Of The Notre Dame & Penn State QBs

Notre Dame and Penn State are going head-to-head in the Orange Bowl on Thursday night in Miami. The winners of the College Football Playoff semifinal match-up will be the first to punch their ticket for the National Championship Game.

The two teams are going into the game with different off-the-field struggles. Notre Dame is reportedly battling the flu, while Penn State has what is believed to be food poisoning. Not ideal for either, but they're going to fight through it.

On paper, there's a lot of pressure on the two quarterbacks heading into the game. The one who outplays the other will likely give his team a better shot at advancing. Will it be Irish quarterback Riley Leonard or Nittany Lions signal caller Drew Allar?

Before the night is over, we'll know the answer to that. But they're not the only ones who are faced with the pressure that comes with the bright lights of a semifinal game.

Leonard's girlfriend, Molly Walding, and Allar's significant other, Emma Bush, arguably have more pressure on them than their boyfriends. While the two quarterbacks have a lot to gain with a win, they know exactly what to expect.

It's a big night for the Penn State and Notre Dame quarterbacks and their girlfriends

At the end of the day, it's a football game like the many other games they've played in their lives. Walding and Bush, on the other hand, are heading into the night blind. This is uncharted waters for both of them.

The cameras may or may not come calling during the game. If they do, and social media runs wild with their appearance, it could make for an unbelievable night for either of them.

Remember college football legend Katherine Webb? Or more recently, JJ McCarthy's then-girlfriend Katya Kuropas, who went viral during Michigan's title run?

Whether it's during a big game or on Draft Night, like Gia Duddy, you have to show up ready for anything. That's an underappreciated amount of pressure.

In the blink of an eye, you can go from relatively unknown to burning up social media. Then turn into a full-blown influencer with endorsement deals seemingly falling out of the sky.

They both kept a low profile on social media heading into this one. That's a good sign; no off-the-field distractions before kickoff.

Walding is a public relations student at Auburn who recently celebrated seven years with the Notre Dame quarterback. Bush, incredibly, is a pre-law student at Ohio State, who has also been in a long-term relationship with the Nittany Lions quarterback.

Expect them to be ready for anything that takes place.