SMU at Penn State: Kickoff time, odds and storylines for College Football Playoff first-round game

SMU made the College Football Playoff despite losing the ACC championship game, but the Mustangs’ stay could be brief. Penn State opened as an 8.5-point favorite as host of a CFP first-round game.

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State

• Place: Beaver Stadium – University Park, Pennsylvania.
• Time: Saturday, December 21, noon ET
• TV: TNT
• Streaming: Max.
• Are you watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

The Nittany Lions pushed Oregon into the Big Ten championship game but ultimately had no answer to Dillon Gabriel’s offense. Kevin Jennings’ offense at SMU isn’t as feared as Oregon’s, but it’s averaging more points. The Mustangs are sixth in the nation in scoring offense (38.5 points).

Penn State still has one of the most talented defenses in the country, but fell in the national rankings after giving up 45 points and 469 yards to Oregon. Even after this game, the Nittany Lions rank eighth in scoring defense (16.4 points per game) and sixth in yards allowed per game (282.1).

SMU got off to a brutal start against Clemson, falling behind 24-7 at halftime, but the Mustangs outscored the Tigers 458-326 in that game. Jennings, a second-year quarterback who took over for outgoing starter Preston Stone, has 27 touchdowns this season with 3,050 passing yards and 379 rushing yards.

From a narrative point of view, it’s pretty clear for both teams. If SMU loses big, questions will arise about whether the Mustangs belonged in the 12-team field in the first place. A win would eliminate all doubt, but Penn State is better than any team on SMU’s schedule thus far. The Mustangs went 11-2 but lost to the only two top 25 teams they faced this year (BYU and Clemson).

Penn State is hoping to break through and finally win a big game under the direction of James Franklin. Franklin is 1-15 against top five teams during his tenure at the Nittany Lion, with one win coming back in 2016. SMU is not a top five team and isn’t exactly the caliber of program that would immediately reverse Franklin’s inability to win. most importantly, but winning a playoff game would go a long way after Franklin was yelled at by his own fans after a home loss to Ohio State in early November.

Unsurprisingly, there isn’t much history of matchup between these two schools. Penn State had a 26-21 home victory in 1978, and they also played to a tie in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.

SMU vs. Penn State

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(Drew Allar photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)