Final predictions for No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU first round College Football Playoff game
The first round of the College Football Playoff gets started on Friday when Indiana and Notre Dame face off. After that, we will have three more playoff games on Saturday. One of the more interesting games may be No. 6 seed Penn State hosting No. 11 seed SMU. SMU suffered a close loss to Clemson […]
The first round of the College Football Playoff gets started on Friday when Indiana and Notre Dame face off. After that, we will have three more playoff games on Saturday.
One of the more interesting games may be No. 6 seed Penn State hosting No. 11 seed SMU. SMU suffered a close loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship but showed enough during their 11-2 season to get in.
Penn State dropped a close one in the Big Ten Championship to Oregon and their only other blemish was a loss to Ohio State. Today, A to Z Sports has final predictions for the game between the Mustangs and Nittany Lions to share with you.
Penn State 28, SMU 24
I think this is perhaps the most interesting first-round game there is. On one hand, SMU has the offense to keep them in this thing. On the other side, the Nittany Lions have a strong running game that can limit how much the Mustangs do on offense. I think this will be a close one and Penn State is going to have to get a big stop late. They have the defense to do just that. – Brandon Little
Penn State 38, SMU 24
SMU is one of the better stories in college football this season, led by dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings. You can bet the Mustang offense will make some plays, but the difference in the trenches will be the biggest difference in this one. The Penn State rushing attack behind Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen wins the day and wears down the SMU defense. – Ryan Roberts
Penn State 32, SMU 17
I'm not sure SMU has the body of work on their schedule, or anywhere close to it, for me to confidently say that they can even hang around with Penn State. I hope I'm wrong, because everyone loves the underdog story, and I'd love to see the first-year Power Five school beat a blue blood like Penn State, but with everything we have seen up until this point, I cannot confidently make that judgment. Penn State may have the best player on the entire field in Warren. The one thing that SMU has going for them is that their defense has been playing lights out lately. Penn State will win handily in terms of the scoreboard, but it won't be easy by any means. – Justin Churchill
Penn State 38, SMU 27
This will play out similarly to Clemson's win against SMU, where the Tigers just had too much physicality and talent to lose despite their second-half collapse. Penn State has a better run game to challenge SMU's elite ground defense, and the connection between Drew Allar and Tyler Warren are problematic for any team. SMU has the chance to play as the ultimate spoiler, but Penn State's high-tier stars will guide them through the rough patches. It's also notable that this is easily SMU's toughest game in terms of personnel, let alone the hostile environment of Happy Valley. – Ian Valentino
