Penn State vs. SMU odds: Early betting line released for College Football Playoff matchup
The first round of the College Football Playoff is officially set. With that, the Penn State Nittany Lions are set to host a game in Happy Valley against the SMU Mustangs after both teams lost in their conference championship games.
Going into Selection Sunday, it was presumed that Penn State would get to host a game in the first round, which ended up being the case with the Nittany Lions landing the sixth-seed. There were more questions about if SMU would make it or not, though. In the end, the Mustangs did as the 11th seed. Only Clemson, who beat them in the ACC Championship Game to earn the automatic bid had a lower seed.
Ahead of that game, the folks in the desert released odds and early betting lines on these matchups. According to FanDuel, Penn State is a 7.5-point favorite over SMU. The over/under point total for the game is set at 53.5 points. The Nittany Lions are also -310 on the moneyline while the Mustangs are +245 for the moneyline.
How to watch Penn State vs. SMU
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST – Saturday, Dec. 21
Channel: TNT/Max, Fubo TV (Streaming)
Location: Beaver Stadium – University Park, PA
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Penn State made the Big Ten Championship Game, going 11-1 during the regular season. There, the Nittany Lions faced off against the Oregon Ducks, coming up one score short in their effort. That ended up being a second loss, both of which came against teams that made the College Football Playoff this season. So, it was no surprise to see the Nittany Lions end up where they did.
SMU was facing more difficult questions and there was some thought they could fall out of the Playoff if they didn’t win the ACC. Despite that, the selection committee felt that their 11-1 regular season effort in the ACC was worthy of making it to the Playoff. Still, they’ll have to go on the road to one of college football’s most hostile environments.
Penn State and SMU will have the 12:00 p.m. EST game on Saturday, December 21st. Weather and the crowd will both likely be factors in this first round of the Playoff, which will have games on campus for the first time in the history of the Playoff.