But Penn State moved onto a Fiesta Bowl game vs. Boise State by insulating itself from narrative talk and making its own statements."I don't care what anyone says about me, my team, or my coach," Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said.

Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

On paper, there are a lot of reasons to view this game a lot closer than the spread. For one, SMU’s 5-2 record against winning teams (wins over Louisville, Duke, Pitt, TCU and Boston College) actually feels a little more impressive than Penn State’s 3-2 record in the same category (wins over Illinois, Bowling Green and Minnesota).