🦁 Penn State vs. 🐎 SMU
🤘 Texas vs. 🐯 Clemson | 4 p.m. ET
🌰 Ohio State vs. 🐶 Tennessee | 8 p.m. ET
☘️ Notre Dame beats Indiana
SMU stopped Penn State on 4th and 1 on its own 19-yard line. However, the Mustangs failed to convert again as Kevin Jennings threw his third interception of the day. Dominic DeLuca batted the ball in the air before coming down with his second interception of the first half.
Penn State takes over midway through the second quarter.
PENN STATE GETS THEIR 3RD INT OF THE FIRST HALF 😳
WHAT IS HAPPENING?! pic.twitter.com/Jh9Gf9dWqU
Kevin Jennings throws his second pick six of the day. Linebacker Tony Rojas made a handful of Mustangs miss as he returned the interception 59 yards for the score.
Penn State leads 14-0 early in the second quarter.
PENN STATE WITH ANOTHER PICK SIX😱
pic.twitter.com/3a494xkLLL
Likely due to the freezing temperatures, James Franklin opts to go for it on 4th and 13 on the SMU 29-yard line rather than kicking a field goal. The Mustangs pressured Drew Allar, forcing an incompletion out wide.
SMU takes over in its own territory.
The Nittany Lions strike first, as Penn State’s Dominic Deluca returned Kevin Jenning’s errant throw 21 yards for a touchdown. SMU trails 7-0 with six minutes to play in the first quarter.
PENN STATE WITH AN EARLY PICK-SIX 🔥
BEAVER STADIUM IS LOUD 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/VX9iQPmwN8
Game two of the 12-team College Football Playoff is set to kick off at 12 p.m. ET on TNT and Max. SMU and Penn State will battle in the sub-30-degree weather, with the winner advancing to face Ashton Jeanty and Boise State.
Follow along here for live updates and highlights throughout the game.
Rolling in. #CFBPlayoff • #WeAre pic.twitter.com/awxrj8GbNp
Less than two hours to go until Penn State and SMU collide in the College Football Playoff.
An electric atmosphere in Happy Valley awaits.
Tune in for kickoff at 12:00 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/y5hQFIrbAH
No. 6 Penn State will host No. 11 SMU on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Beaver Stadium.
The Saturday slate of College Football Playoff games starts at noon in Happy Valley, where Penn State will play SMU. A battle of conference championship game runner-ups in the playoff for the first time, the winner of this game will play Boise State in the quarterfinal.
Despite a conference championship loss to No. 1 Oregon, Penn State receives arguably the most favorable position in the 12-team field. Andy Kotelnicki’s offense has been on fire of late, averaging 39.8 points per game over the last five contests, including 37 points scored against Oregon in the Big Ten title game. Tight end Tyler Warren is as dynamic a player as you will see in college football, and quarterback Drew Allar continues to impress as a likely first-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Despite losing due to a last-second field goal, SMU nearly overcame a 17-point halftime deficit against Clemson in the ACC championship game, The Mustangs, in their first year in the conference, went 8-0 against the ACC in the regular season. Quarterback Kevin Jennings alongside running back Brashard Smith combine to make arguably the most electric backfield in college football.
Nicholas SIngleton (838 yds)
The final College Football Playoff rankings of the season set the bracket for the 2024 College Football Playoff. Here is the full top-25:
The winner of Penn State and SMU will move on to face No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on December 31, 2024
Since the College Football Playoff was established in 2014, seven teams have won a national championship. Michigan won the last version of the four-team playoff in 2023.
Here is every College Football Playoff Champion:
