Penn State’s path through the College Football Playoff is set. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions will play eleventh-seeded SMU on Saturday, Dec. 21 at noon in Beaver Stadium. The game will air on TNT and Max and will start the jam-packed Saturday slate with three Playoff games.
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Here are my initial thoughts on Penn State’s spot in the bracket. We’ll hear from James Franklin later this afternoon:
1. Penn State has to love this spot. The Nittany Lions have a favorable path — the most favorable path — through the bracket which starts with SMU. A win would put Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. against Ashton Jeanty and third-seed Boise State. Keeping Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Tennessee on the other side of the bracket is a dream scenario for PSU. Penn State’s side of the bracket includes Indiana, Notre Dame, Boise State and Georgia. This is exactly the spot Penn State wants to be in. The Nittany Lions would sign up for that spot every single time if they could. However, having a favorable spot and winning the game are still two different things, of course.
2. There was no penalty for Penn State losing to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game and that’s how it should’ve been. While Penn State didn’t get the fifth seed, which went to Texas, it was still rewarded for an 11-1 regular season and ended up with a more favorable path than the Longhorns. Penn State didn’t fall behind Notre Dame or Ohio State. Even with the Buckeyes beating Penn State head to head and having a closer loss to Oregon than Penn State’s, the risk of being in the conference championship and the extra wear and tear of the game was rewarded.
3. How this bracket aligned with No. 1 Oregon playing the winner of Ohio State-Tennessee was the result of the committee not thinking about anything more than ranking the 25 best teams. Warde Manuel said as much on ESPN during the selection show. Their job is to slot the best teams in order and it’s clear there was no thought about what would happen in the quarterfinals. We very well could see Ohio State-Oregon once again, which is an outcome I’m not sure the No. 1 Ducks would be happy with. I do wonder if this scenario eventually leads to reseeding after the opening round in the coming years.
4. The biggest lesson Penn State should take from the Big Ten Championship Game loss and carry into the Playoff is that this team can hang with the best in the country. The margin of error will continue to shrink this postseason but clean up the penalties, come up with a takeaway and Penn State can and should go on a run.
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5. The Nittany Lions just can’t escape a noon kick. The dreaded start time for fans strikes again this time in the most meaningful game to ever be played in Beaver Stadium. The point of these first-round games being played on college campuses was to have all the rowdy crowds and pageantry that the sport so uniquely offers in these settings. With games in State College, Austin, South Bend and Columbus, these atmospheres will be a perfect display of the passion that remains for this sport. However, Penn State getting the Saturday noon slot likely only happens because of the opponent. If Alabama had gotten in over SMU, Penn State likely would’ve escaped a noon start. If the traffic logjam for Penn State-Ohio State was bad — and it was — expect to be sitting gridlocked for quite some time early on a Saturday morning trying to get to Beaver Stadium. The way too early weather forecast calls for a cloudy day with a high of 39 degrees. Playing outside in the cold is part of Penn State’s home-field advantage. Good thing Penn State moved winter graduation from Saturday to Sunday after all.
6. SMU averaged 38.5 points and 443.1 yards per game this season. The Mustangs finished 28th in total defense while Penn State is sixth. SMU won 22 games in the last two years and after storming back Saturday in a 34-31 loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, head coach Rhett Lashlee said on the selection show that this is an opportunity for his program to show that they belong.
This story will be updated.
(Photo of Kaytron Allen: Jordan Prather / Imagn Images)
