Penn State's College Football Playoff tilt with SMU pits two teams in the same boat against each other
The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is now set. The No. 6 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will face the No. 11 ranked SMU Mustangs in State College, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 21 for the right to advance to play Boise State in the quarterfinals. This comes on the back of a disappointing Big Ten Conference Championship […]
The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is now set.
The No. 6 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions will face the No. 11 ranked SMU Mustangs in State College, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 21 for the right to advance to play Boise State in the quarterfinals.
This comes on the back of a disappointing Big Ten Conference Championship loss to the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. It's hardly the toughest route for James Franklin and Drew Allars, but it won't be easy. In fact, their first-round matchup reeks of irony. Both Penn State and SMU faced similar criticism heading into championship weekend and the College Football Playoff.
Penn State and SMU get a chance to defend their records against each other
Looking at the Nittany Lions and the Mustangs is like looking in the mirror in terms of their qualifications. This is true for both the Big Ten Championship Game and the ACC Championship Game, but it's also true for the College Football Playoff. Virtually everyone was asking the same question about these two teams— Who have they played?
Each team had to defend their record to an extent.
SMU beat two ranked opponents in Pittsburgh (18) and Louisville (22), but they lost to BYU and then to Clemson in the ACC Championship this past weekend. Penn State might have a stronger case, but they lost to two of the ranked teams they faced. They fell to a No. 4 ranked Ohio State team, and a No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks team in the Big Ten championship. They did, however, beat a No. 19 ranked Illinois team in September.
This game will be the ultimate test for both programs, whoever wins the game will get the luxury of invalidating all the questions and criticism. On the other hand, whichever team loses will provide validation for all the critics who argued against their respective records.
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