No. 6 Penn State Football To Host No. 11 SMU In College Football Playoff
Update, 12:51 p.m.
Penn State football’s College Football Playoff game at home against SMU will kick off at noon on Saturday, December 21, on TNT and Max. The winner will play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Original story:
No. 6-seeded Penn State football will host No. 11-seeded SMU on either Friday, December 20, or Saturday, December 21, at Beaver Stadium in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the committee announced Sunday afternoon.
The matchup’s announcement came after the Nittany Lions lost a 45-37 heartbreaker against No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Saturday night. Penn State would’ve clinched a first-round bye with a win, but will instead have to defeat the the Mustangs to have a shot at facing Boise State.
Penn State’s matchup against SMU will be its first-ever playoff game after the playoffs expanded to a 12-team format this season.
SMU lost 34-31 to Clemson in the ACC Championship, but the Mustangs went 11-1 this season.
Rhett Lashlee is SMU’s coach. Three players to watch are quarterback Kevin Jennings, running back Brashard Smith, and linebacker Kobe Wilson.
Penn State has faced SMU twice. The Nittany Lions defeated the Mustangs 26-21 in 1978, but tied 13-13 in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.
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