SMU at Penn State weather forecast for College Football Playoff First Round game

The SMU Mustangs and Penn State Nittany Lions are preparing for their College Football Playoff on Saturday afternoon, and it’s looking like it’ll be a chilly one in Happy Valley.

According to the AccuWeather forecast, both teams are going to be battling the elements. It’s expected to be 26 degrees for this weekend’s game, “Low clouds, breezy and colder with a few flurries; bitter cold; be sure to wear layers,” the full forecast reads.

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It’s going to be a sight to behold, as Penn State is also deploying a White-Out for Saturday to help with their home-field advantage. It certainly gets cold at times for SMU, but the atmosphere in Happy Valley will be different than anything they’ve played in all season long. It’ll be a wild one to help kick off the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Some may feel for the Mustangs, as they’re walking into the lion’s den, but Mark Ingram isn’t one of those people. He boldly claimed he’s hoping for Penn State to dog walk their opponent, as he’s frustrated with how SMU ended up with a ticket to the dance, so he’s hoping for the Nittany Lions to capture a big win.

“I hope Penn State just dog walks SMU for them not winning the ACC,” Ingram said, via The Triple Option. “If they just would have won the ACC Championship, we all would have been happy, but now I’m pissed. Dog walk. Foot in arse. Foot in arse. SMU is going up to Happy Valley, going to be freezing their face-off, coming from Dallas.” 

Ingram, a former Alabama running back, is referencing how SMU ended up making the College Football Playoff despite losing the ACC Championship Game. That got two teams from the ACC into the Playoff. The highest-ranked team that ended up getting left out ended up being Alabama, so perhaps that’s playing a role in his distain.

“Penn State, I’ve got Penn State joining us. Tyler Warren, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, defense playing with their hair on fire,” Ingram said. “James Franklin has to hold it down in Happy Valley. I’ve got Penn State in this one, especially with the weather. SMU ain’t gonna be ready for that cold.”

Perhaps SMU can shock the world and waltz into Happy Valley amid freezing temperatures and win the game on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. EST, with a trip to play Boise State on the line. Penn State will certainly be ready.

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.