A missed opportunity for SMU against Penn State has grown into the controversy it was hoping to avoid after getting the last at-large invite over Alabama,

Penn State football flexed its muscles on both side of the ball to beat down SMU in the Nittany Lions' College Football Playoff opener.

Jimmie Kaylor revealed his College Football Playoff semifinal picks for Penn State vs. Notre Dame in the 2025 Orange Bowl on Thursday

The second game of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is ready to kick off. The SMU Mustangs will be taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions for the right to take on the Boise State Broncos in the quarterfinals.

The No. 11 seed SMU Mustangs (11-2) and No. 6 seed Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) meet in the first round of the College Football Playoff Saturday. Kickoff from Beaver Stadium is set for noon ET (TNT/Max).

No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

No. 6 Penn State takes on No. 11 SMU Mustangs in the College Football Playoff. Here are the latest odds, spread, moneyline and over/under.

While Notre Dame’s win against Georgia was the first win in a big bowl game in more than 30 years, Penn State is still searching for that level of win under James Franklin. The Nittany Lions had the so-called easy path to the semifinals and took advantage with a dominant win against SMU and a comfortable win against Boise State.

Instead, Ohio State has rushed for 337 yards and six touchdowns in two CFP games. Putting up points against Oregon wasn’t surprising because the Ducks’ defense had poor performances in past matchups with CFP teams.

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl will feature the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Texas Longhorns. Here’s what to know before the game.