SMU vs. Penn State: How to watch College Football Playoff first round game, TV channel, streaming, start time and stats

The first Saturday slate of College Football Playoff games in the 12-team era kicks off when the No. 11 SMU Mustangs (11-2) head to State College to take on the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-2) in the first round of the postseason.

SMU earned an at-large bid after falling in the ACC Championship to Clemson. It was something of a controversy that two-loss SMU got in ahead of 9-3 Alabama, given that SMU had the 48th-most difficult schedule in the nation while Alabama's was the 24th-toughest, per Sports-Reference.

The Mustangs will look to prove they belong in the CFP when they visit a Penn State team that has one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. The Nittany Lions' only two losses were against two of the best teams in the country, Ohio State and Oregon.

How to watch SMU vs. Penn State, TV channel and streaming

SMU vs. Penn State will be broadcast on TNT, which can be viewed through cable TV or streamed via live TV streaming apps such as YouTubeTV or SlingTV.

Streaming will also be available on MAX.

SMU vs. Penn State start time, date and venue

SMU vs. Penn State is scheduled to start at 12 PM ET/11 AM CT/9 AM PT on Saturday, December 21 with the game taking place at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

SMU vs. Penn State stats

• The SMU Mustangs are sixth out of 134 Division I Football teams in points scored per game (38.5) and are 20th in points allowed per game with 20.8.
• The Penn State Nittany Lions rank 25th in points scored per game with 33.6, and eighth in points allowed per game with 16.4.
• SMU QB Kevin Jennings completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 3,050 yards and a 22-8 TD-INT ratio, and he had 93 carries for 379 yards and five TDs on the ground in 13 regular season games.
• Penn State QB Drew Allar completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 2,894 yards and a 21-7 TD-INT ratio in 13 games ahead of the Playoff, and he scored six times on the ground on 72 carries for 279 yards.
• Mustangs RB Brashard Smith had 217 carries for 1,270 yards and 18 total TDs in the regular season.
• Nittany Lions RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 304 carries, 1,660 yards and 20 total TDs this season - Allen played in all 13 games while Singleton played in 12.
• SMU's defense has six players with at least 3.0 sacks this season and four players with multiple interceptions.
• Penn State defensive end and projected top-10 2025 NFL Draft selection Abdul Carter led the Big Ten in tackles for loss with 20, and he led his team with 10.0 sacks and two forced fumbles.

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