Penn State lands No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 SMU in College Football Playoff first round
Penn State has officially qualified for the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. The 11-2 Nittany Lions will the No. 6 seed. They will host No. 11 SMU. The announcement was made Sunday on ESPN’s CFP selection show special. What time, channel, and date is Penn State-SMU on in the College Football Playoff?
The Mustangs are 11-2 on the year and the ACC runner up. They got in over Alabama. The winner faces Boise State in the quarters.
Oregon, which finished the regular season 13-0, was an obvious choice to be the No. 1 seed. It will play in the Rose Bowl in the quarterfinals. The Ducks beat the Nittany Lions 45-37 in last night’s Big Ten title game. Both sides were assured of an entry to the Playoff before kickoff. Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State also earned byes as the Nos. 2-4 seeds, respectively. Texas is No. 5 and the only team ahead of the Lions.
“I know these guys and myself and the rest of the guys in the locker room will be excited about the opportunity that comes,” Lions coach James Franklin said after the game. “Do I think our resumé matches up with anybody in the country? Yeah, I think it does. Again, we lost by one possession to the No. 1 team in the country. And I think earlier in the season we lost to the No. 3 team in the country at the time, if I remember correctly. Is that correct? And a one-possession game as well.”
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Read on for more CFP info below.
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Quick thoughts on where Penn State is at
This is a great draw for Penn State. The Lions will be a favorite over the Mustangs and would likely be over Boise State if they make it to the quarterfinals.
Full College Football Playoff bracket, top 25, and matchups:
1: Oregon (Bye)
2: Georgia Bulldogs (Bye)
3: Boise State Broncos (Bye)
4: Arizona State Sun Devils (BYE)
12 Clemson Tigers at No. 5 Texas Longhorns (winner plays ASU)
11 SMU Mustangs at No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (winner plays Boise State)
10 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (winner will play Georgia)
9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (winner will play Oregon)
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