Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
In the wonderful land of odds, the early spread is out for Penn State-SMU.
As one could imagine, sixth-seeded Penn State, which is the higher-ranked team with home field advantage, is the favorite.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the line set at 7.5 in favor of PSU.
Penn State ended its regular season 11-1, and ended up playing on the Big Ten Championship Game, where it lost to No. 1 Oregon 45-37 in Indy Saturday night. SMU also played in its conference championship game, falling to Clemson on a last-second 56-yard field goal. Many wondered if 11-2 SMU would get in over 9-3 Alabama, and indeed, it did.
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CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 07: SMU Mustangs running back Brashard Smith (1) is surrounded by several Clemson defenders during the ACC championship football game between the SMU Mustangs and the Clemson Tigers on December 7, 2024 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire)
SMU is one of the biggest surprises in college football this season. For the first time since it got the “Death Penalty,” it feels like SMU is a college football power. After losing to BYU Sept. 6, SMU went on a terror, winning nine in a row and not losing until Saturday night against Clemson. Like SMU, Penn State also finished 11-2. A big difference is that coach James Franklin and Penn State was expected to be here. Rhett Lashlee and SMU weren’t.
BAD NEWS FOR SMU…
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: James Franklin
Penn State doesn’t always meet the odds when it’s favored by it almost always wins. With the exception of last season’s Peach Bowl against Ole Miss— when practically half of Penn State’s starters were either opted out or playing on a snap count— Penn State hasn’t lost a game it was favored to win since its infamous nine-OT loss to Illinois in October 2021.
Penn State-SMU is scheduled to kickoff at noon on TNT.
