SMU at Penn State: How to watch, channel, early spread for College Football Playoff game
The 11-seed SMU Mustangs are set to take on the 6-seed Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. CT on TNT. Rhett Lashlee’s team opened as underdogs going into what’ll be a chilly, road environment.
The Mustangs landed in the College Football Playoff bracket despite falling in the ACC Championship and will head to Happy Valley. Penn State will host a first-round game at Beaver Stadium in the first-ever CFP game, which will be a White Out in State College.
Head coach James Franklin’s side is 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.
The ESPN crew that will call the First Round matchup of SMU and Penn State on TNT Sports include Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich.
Franklin said he’s seen a bit of the Mustangs over the course of the regular season. But, he and his staff can now dive into the game plan in earnest.
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“I’ve got a chance to see a little little bit of them, and know coach’s background,” Franklin told ESPN. “I got them up on the TV right now. Just started to watch them. But from everything I’ve seen, obviously explosive on offense, playing really good defense, they got a lot of speed on the field. They’ve done a really good job of getting those guys the ball in space. So it’s going to be a challenge, and we’re excited about the opportunity, and again, we’re hopeful that weather will be a factor in the game.”
Lashlee’s ready to have his team play together again this season on a big stage. After the ACC Championship, Lashlee pointed to the competitiveness as a team for something that he enjoys seeing.
“We have good players, but the secret sauce is they’re a true team,” Lashlee said. “I’ve said it. It’s real. You feel it. That’s why it hurts when they lose because they do everything the right way. They work hard. They trust each other. They love each other. They compete with each other. They have each other’s back. They don’t blame other people when they make a mistake. There’s no finger pointing. They’re just a true team. That’s why I think they respond so well to everything.”
The winner of Penn State-SMU will advance to the quarterfinals. No. 4 Boise State awaits the victory of this contest. The Broncos will meet either the Lions or Mustangs in primetime on New Year’s Eve at the Fiesta Bowl.
