Frequently Asked Questions about Penn State and the College Football Playoff

Penn State’s path to a potential national championship will begin in Happy Valley with a home game against No. 11 seed SMU in the College Football Playoff. In the first year of the expanded playoffs, the 11-2 Nittany Lions have drawn a No. 6 seed and Beaver Stadium will be the site of one of four on-campus first-round games. 

Of course, with the changes in the College Football Playoff format, it leads to many questions moving forward through uncharted waters. We’ve tried to do our best to answer any questions Penn State fans may have in the next few months. 

Penn State Football in the College Football Playoff FAQ

When does Penn State play SMU and where will it air?
The College Football Playoff will take place over a two-day stretch beginning on Dec. 20. Penn State drew the noon matchup on Saturday, Dec. 21 and it will air on TNT and also stream on MAX. Indiana and Notre Dame will kick off the playoff on Friday night in South Bend. FOX does not have playoff rights, so this isn’t a Big Noon Kickoff decision. 

Why TNT?
In the new College Football Playoff deal, the rights are held by ESPN. The sports media giant has a five-year agreement to sublicense two first-round matchups to TNT Sports. The rest of the playoff will be aired on ABC or ESPN. The 4:00 p.m. playoff game between Clemson and Texas will be the other TNT game in the first round. 

Who is calling the game for TNT?
TNT Sports does not have dedicated college football broadcast teams, so all of the games will be handled by ESPN’s teams. The Penn State-SMU game has drawn play-by-play man Mark Jones, color commentator Roddy Jones and sideline reporter Quint Kessenich. 

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will call No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State. Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy and Molly McGrath will be in South Bend, Ind., on Friday, Dec. 20, for No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, while Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, and Katie George will be in Austin for No. 12 Clemson against No. 5 Texas.

What was the opening line?
On Sunday shortly after the announcement of the game, Penn State opened as a 7.5-point favorite at FanDuel, where the total is 53.5 points. DraftKings has Penn State as an 8-point favorite and lists the total at 53.

How did SMU make the 12-team playoff field?
The Mustangs fell to Clemson in the ACC title game via a walk-off field goal by the Tigers. Still, the body of work was impressive enough for the 11-2 squad to grab the last at-large bid in the field. The Mustangs finished No. 10 in the final College Football Playoff rankings and remained ahead of 10-3 Clemson, who holds the 12-seed as an auto-bid and checked in at No. 16 in the committee’s rankings. SMU fell to BYU back in September and the Mustangs’ resume won out over 9-3 Alabama, who was the first team left out. 

Is it a White Out?
Yes, Pen State has declared this as an official White Out game. Due to trademark restrictions, the Nittany Lions have had to figure out creative ways around using the moniker more than the allowed one time per season. There’s no word yet on why the program can do this for a playoff game, but the Nittany Lions are promoting it as such. 

What happens if Penn State loses?
That’s it. The playoff is the postseason. There is no bowl game waiting on the other side for the loser of the first round matchups. 

What happens if Penn State wins?
Penn State’s path in the playoffs would land the Nittany Lions in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 3 seed Boise State. That game will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET (5:30 local time) as a part of the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Boise State is the new home of former Penn State Special Teams Coordinator Stacy Collins, who left to go back out west after the 2023 season. 

Why is Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl and not Arizona State?
The Broncos clinched a bye as the third-highest-ranked conference champion by winning the Mountain West. There are still traditional bowl game tie-ins with conferences, such as the Rose Bowl getting the Big Ten Champ, the Sugar Bowl hosting the SEC champ and the Orange getting the ACC champ. The Orange Bowl is a national semifinal site, rendering its tie-in to ACC champ Clemson irrelevant. 

No. 1 Oregon landed in the Rose Bowl, No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar and No. 3 Boise State was next up and the Broncos landed in the next-closest available site to home, which ended up being in Arizona. Big 12 champ Arizona State claimed the No. 4 seed and despite being right down the road in Tempe, the Sun Devils will go to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl in the quarterfinals. 

Where could Penn State go if it keeps winning?
If Penn State is fortunate enough to win against SMU and Boise State, the Nittany Lions would move on to the national semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 9 in Miami at the Orange Bowl. In addition to SMU and Boise, Penn State’s half of the bracket includes No. 2 Georgia, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 10 Indiana. The other national semifinal will take place on Friday, Jan. 10 at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  

Does the field re-seed after each round?
No, the tournament format is fully set and won’t change based on upcoming results. 

How is the ticketing being handled?
While it will be a home game for Penn State, the College Football Playoff is the recipient of the ticket revenue. It will then be spread to teams throughout college football. Pricing is standardized across the country in these first-round games and will include different price points for seats. General seating prices will range from $100 to $250, per On3. Penn State is selling student tickets for $25.

Playoff rules require host sites to set aside 3,500 tickets for the opposing team. An opposing band would be included within that 3,500 ticket allotment. Of the 3,500 tickets, 1,500 will be in the lower bowl.

Penn State season ticket holders received emails about securing their seats for the first round back in November, with a deadline on Nov. 22. For those that opted in, your cards will be charged on Sunday. Tickets previously requested will become visible in Penn State Account Manager later on Sunday. Mobile ticketing is the exclusive delivery method for all tickets and printed tickets will not be issued.

What if I want to go to the game and I’m not a season ticket holder?
Per Penn State, Football season ticket holders and Nittany Lion Club members will have access to an exclusive presale beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, December 9. The presale will end at 2 p.m. ET on Monday, December 9. Subject to availability, other tickets go on sale on Monday, December 9, at 2:30 p.m. ET.

What revenue does Penn State generate from the home playoff game?
Penn State’s revenue for the home playoff game will come in the form of parking fees and concessions. The Nittany Lions will not get the full ticket revenue for this game. 

What about the Big Ten?
The College Football Playoff breaks down its revenue distribution methods on its official website:

The following is a breakdown of the CFP revenue distribution:

• For the 2024-25 academic year:
  1. Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school’s football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a postseason football game. Each independent institution will also receive $300,000 when its football team meets that standard.
  2. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that makes the College Football Playoff (12 schools) and each team that advances to the Playoff Quarterfinals (eight schools).
  3. A conference will receive $6 million for each team that advances to a Playoff Semifinal (four schools) and each team that advances to the national championship game (two schools).
  4. Each conference whose team participates in the College Football Playoff will receive $3 million to cover expenses for each round.

Can Penn State host recruits since it’s a home game?
No. Despite being held during a recruiting quiet period, which does allow for on-campus visits, Penn State cannot host recruits as it does for all other home games. The NCAA does not allow programs to provide tickets to recruits for postseason events for free or discounted rates. If recruits would like to attend, they will have to buy tickets like everyone else. 

What is the Transfer Portal situation for Penn State players?
The official opening of the Transfer Portal for players looking to get out of town is Monday, Dec. 9 and it will stay open through Dec. 28. With the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, the postseason will be longer. Athletes on teams that compete in the College Football Playoff will be allowed to enter during an additional five-day transfer portal window in January after the portal closes. That window will take place following the team’s final playoff game.

Do playoff games count against current redshirting rules?
The NCAA rule change allowing for players to preserve a redshirt season by playing in four games or fewer is not relevant in the postseason. Freshman, or others hoping to keep the extra year, are fair game to play in the postseason and it will not count against their four-game total. The Nittany Lions burned three redshirts in the Class of 2024 in offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, tight end Luke Reynolds and safety DeJuan Lane, but otherwise have preserved a year of eligibility for the rest of the previous signing class. Penn State played six true freshmen on Saturday night, as running back Quinton Martin, linebacker Anthony Speca and safety Vaboue Toure played on special teams and joined the previously listed freshmen.

Will star safety KJ Winston return for the playoff run?
The Nittany Lions have been without starting safety KJ Winston since early in the season. James Franklin labeled it as a long-term injury, and he doubled down on that on Sunday afternoon.

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