Welcome to Big Ten football, SMU.

Penn State football will host No. 11-seeded SMU for both teams’ first-ever College Football Playoff game on Saturday. Not only will there be White Out conditions, but there will also be frigid temperatures.

According to AccuWeather, the high on Saturday will be 29° with a low of 15° and wind gusts of 30 miles per hour for a RealFeel of 17°. Despite the blistering cold, the Nittany Lions have played through worse in Beaver Stadium. However, neither team has played in these conditions this season.

“You’ve seen us do wet ball drills and stuff like that for the cold, so it’s about knowing that we prepare for this stuff all the time,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “We’re fortunate enough to have a home game, so absolutely it’s an advantage. It’s hard to mimic what you see outside right now today.”

But how big of an advantage do the Nittany Lions have playing in the cold? Just because Penn State plays in the middle of Pennsylvania doesn’t mean it’s acclimated to playing a playoff football game in the cold.

A.J. Harris and Trey Wallace are from Alabama, Zane Durant and Elliot Washington II are from Florida, Omari Evans is from Texas, and Audavion Collins is from Georgia. Harris previously played at Georgia, Collins played at Mississippi State, and although Jalen Kimber is from Indiana, he played at Georgia and Flordia before becoming a Nittany Lion.

“My first cold game, I was struggling, so I kind of got used to it,” Durant said. “It’s going to hurt regardless. It’s kind of a mental change you’ve got to get used to. The first time you go into it, you’re not aware of that.” 

However, some players like Abdul Carter, who is from Philadelphia, don’t seem to mind the cold.

“For me personally, it really doesn’t matter,” Carter said. “It can be hot or cold, but [they’re] coming into our environment that we’ve pretty much been used to, and they pretty much have not. So it will be an advantage for us.”

The second question is: How much does the cold affect SMU? Like Oregon, the Mustangs have a speedy, fast-tempo offense. The Ducks exploited the Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Championship and SMU will look to do the same. But there’s a difference between playing in a dome and playing in 30 mph winds.

SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee doesn’t see the cold as an advantage for Penn State.

“Here’s the deal. They’re playing in the same weather we are. They got to play in it just like we do,” Lashlee said. “I don’t think they’ve played a game on December 21 at home before. I don’t think the weather’s a big deal. Both teams are playing in the same conditions, whether it’s snow or no snow, whether it’s cold or kind of cold. It is what it is.”

Penn State may have never played a home game on December 21, but it has played within a week of the date. In 2020, Penn State hosted Illinois on Saturday, December 19, and the Nittany Lions won 56-21. The temperature that day was 30°.

The only difference is Nick Dawkins, Sal Wormley, Dvon J-Thomas, Smith Vilbert, Coziah Izzard, Amin Vanover, and Zuriah Fisher are the only players from that 2020 roster still on the team. However, Penn State’s advantage comes in practice.

It’s cold almost every day in State College this time of year. Penn State has the luxury of running practice as usual. As for the Mustangs, they have to practice early in the morning to prepare for the cold.

“We practice in the morning, so we were able to practice in the 30s and 40s, and I think that helped us,” Lashlee said. “I don’t think the weather was an issue in Charlotte (for the ACC Championship) when it was 37º when the game ended, and I think our guys handled it great. This is going to be different. It’ll probably be 25º.”

The one thing SMU can’t prepare for is a White Out game. It will most likely be the loudest game the Mustangs will play this season, and it doesn’t matter how loud they play “Mo Bamba” in practice.

“It’s going to be a challenge, and we’re looking forward to it and the guys have embraced it,” James Franklin said. “We’re going to need this place rocking on Saturday. Obviously, a different situation at this time of the year and having a home game, which we appreciate.”