The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff welcomed more teams into the quest for the national championship, and the new format has separated the pretenders from the contenders.
Six-seed Penn State was one of those contenders that sent ACC runner-up SMU (11-seed) packing in a 38-10 thumping.
Here are some takeaways from what was mostly a non-competitive matchup:
Penn State practically advanced to the CFP semifinals
Given how the bracket is laid out, Penn State advances to play the three-seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. So, the Nittany Lions will play two teams that were in the Group of Five just a season ago.
Boise State is a good team, Mountain West champions at 12-1, but with the quality of play Penn State put forth in smothering SMU, the Broncos’ chances look slimmer than ever. The luck of the draw has given head coach James Franklin the easiest path to the CFP semifinals, which isn’t his fault, but that’s the reality, and his team should take advantage of it.
The game was boring but necessary to weed out pretenders
Some fans may complain the first-round matchup, like Friday’s Indiana-Notre Dame game, was less entertaining than previous editions of the College Football Playoff. However, despite the lack of dramatics, this first round was necessary to shed the non-contenders from the field.
SMU had a bad day, especially with quarterback Kevin Jennings throwing two first-half pick-sixes, and Penn State took advantage of that. Just like in the NCAA basketball tournament, some early blowouts are to be expected.
Was SMU deserving of a spot in the CFP?
Speaking of early-round blowouts, Saturday’s result compounded online discourse over 9-3 Alabama’s exclusion from the 12-team field. However, SMU was entirely deserving of a spot in the bracket at 11-2 because it fought ACC champion Clemson to the last second and impressed throughout the regular season.
A three-loss team, regardless of conference affiliation, is still a three-loss team and not playoff-caliber. Despite the result, SMU was a playoff team and earned its way to having a chance at advancing toward a national title.
Penn State’s defense is national championship-caliber
Even with an easy path, any team that has to face the Nittany Lion defense should be very fearful. With the No. 6 defense in the FBS and a +4 turnover margin entering Saturday, Penn State is a force to be reckoned with.
SMU learned that the hard way with three interceptions and struggling mightily to move the ball on offense. Only mustering 10 points (Penn State averages 16.4 allowed per game) was a clear suffocation by the Nittany Lions, and they’ll have their toughest test yet against Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty and Boise State in the semifinals.
“I wanted them to play aggressively,” Franklin said after the game. “I wanted Tom Allen and Andy Kotelnicki and Justin Lustig to call the game aggressively. Don’t play on your heels, play on your toes.”
Home-field advantage was a significant factor Saturday and the right decision in the CFP format
The crowd at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley was a huge factor in SMU’s failure to put up any kind of a fight. Jennings clearly couldn’t hear the play calls, putting his hands up to his ears multiple times, and that definitely affected his execution.
While the current CFP format may have its problems, starting the tournament with four first-round games hosted on-campus was the best decision made. Teams earning home-field advantage should have that opportunity to dominate, and if the visitors are true contenders, they’ll find a way to overcome the adversity.
