What is the early Penn State-SMU point spread? Betting info is in for Lions' Round 1 CFP game
Penn State and SMU will meet for the second time in the postseason and overall when they battle in a College Football Playoff first round matchup on Sat., Dec 21 at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions, who are 11-2 and Big Ten runner-ups, are the No. 6 seed and the Mustangs, who are also 11-2 and ACC runner-ups, are the No. 11 seed in the first 12-team CFP bracket. Kickoff is set for Noon ET. TNT will televise the game. Betting information is now in for the contest.
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 Nittany Lions are calling for a White Out for the first Playoff game at Beaver Stadium and the last one before a $700 million renovation project begins. It will be complete before the 2027 season starts. 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.
In the only other meeting between PSU and SMU, the Lions won in the 1978 Cotton Bowl.
Penn State, SMU coaches offers first thoughts on the matchup
Franklin and SMU leader Rhett Lashlee both joined ESPN for interviews after the matchup was revealed.
“We’re going to have a team meeting today at three, and it’s going to be a really great team meeting to be a part of,” Lashlee said. “When the announcement happened, honestly, I got emotional, just because I’m so happy for our kids. They worked so hard. They won 22 games in the last two years. They laid it all on the line last night. We lost heart breaking at the end of a great opponent.
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“Just happy that they feel like they get a chance to go out and prove we continue to belong. Go play a great team like Penn State up in Happy Valley. So we’ll celebrate with our guys at three o’clock and we’ll get to work on Penn State.”
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.
“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.”
