How to watch Penn State-SMU in the CFP; pregame info, weather, spread, start time, more: Gameday Central
STATE COLLEGE — Happy game day, Penn State fans! The Saturday you have long been waiting for has finally arrived. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions host No. 11 SMU in one of four College Football Playoff first round game this weekend. It marks both teams’ first Playoff appearance.
“Our students make a huge difference for us, and obviously being after finals and things like that makes it a little bit challenging,” Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said this week. “So that’s a little bit of a concern. And then obviously it’s a home game for us, but to your point, the College Football Playoff pretty much runs everything else. So it will not feel like it normally feels to us playing a home game in Beaver Stadium.
“But overall, in general, obviously, we’re glad and fortunate to be home. So we’ll take it. This is the structure that exists and we’re going to embrace it and move forward.”
GameDay Central gets you ready for kickoff below.
Game time, TV channel, how to watch: SMU at Penn State
Venue: Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
Kick time: Noon ET
TV: TNT
On the call: Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (color commentator), and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter).
Penn State radio: Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp will call the Penn State Sports Network radio broadcast on Saturday. It airs on 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM locally and at GoPSUSports.com online.
Series facts: Penn State is 1-0-1 all-time against the Mustangs. The two sides tied in their first meeting, which took place back in 1948. The Lions beat SMU 27-21 in 1978.
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What is the Penn State-SMU spread?
Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite at FanDuel. The total is 53.5 points.
Blue-White Illustrated predictions
Nate Bauer: PSU: 33, SMU: 28
Sean Fitz: PSU: 31, SMU: 21
Thomas Frank Carr: PSU: 34, SMU: 17
Matt Herb: PSU: 28, SMU: 24
Greg Pickel: PSU: 28, SMU: 17
Ryan Snyder: PSU: 34, SMU: 21
Weather report
It will be chilly and windy on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. How much the wind will impact things later today is still to-be-determined. But, we know for sure that it will be cold. Currently, Weather.com calls for the following forecast: “Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 27F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.”
Penn State-SMU pregame reading
Penn State will wear a CFP logo on its helmet and patch on its uniform against SMU; here’s what they look like
James Franklin: Penn State set for ‘challenge’ of aggressive SMU D
Penn State picks its backup quarterback for SMU; is Jaylen Reed good to go for the CFP?
What did we learn at Penn State practice before CFP Round 1?
