As announced by the committee on Sunday afternoon, the 6th-ranked Penn State football team will host the 11th-ranked SMU team. The College Football Playoff game between Penn State Football and SMU will take place on Saturday, December 21, at Beaver Stadium.

First game between these teams since 1978

The announcement came after the Nittany Lions lost 45-37 to number 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship on Saturday night. Penn State would have secured a first-round bye with a win, but instead, they will need to defeat the Mustangs to have a chance to face Boise State. While waiting for the big match, which will take place in just a few days, many fans will surely turn to the internet to pass the time. The most interesting activity is the legal Pennsylvania Sports Betting, where you can find the best available bookmaker promotions, sports betting apps, and much more.

The Penn State vs. SMU game will be the team’s first playoff game since the playoff format was expanded to 12 teams this season. SMU lost to Clemson 34-31 in the ACC Championship game, but the Mustangs finished the season with an 11-1 record. Penn State has played SMU twice before. The Nittany Lions defeated the Mustangs 26-21 in 1978 but tied 13-13 in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.

© Penn State Live (cc: by-nc)

Penn State coach hopeful for success

I know these guys, myself, and the rest of the guys in the locker room will be excited for the opportunity ahead, said Lions coach James Franklin after the game. Do I think our resume compares to anyone else in the country? Yes, I think so. Again, we lost by one play to the number 1 team in the country. And I think earlier in the season we lost to the number 3 team in the country at the time, if I remember correctly. Is that true? And that was a one-play game. It’s a great opportunity for Penn State. The winner will face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

© Kelly Huston (cc: by-nc)

Remarkable history of Beaver Stadium

The history of Beaver Stadium, where Penn State will host SMU, is a rare case as it began in a different location! Originally, Beaver Field stood about 1.5 kilometers west of its final location. It was built in 1909 with wooden stands. In 1936, these were replaced with new, steel stands. This 30,000-seat structure was then moved a mile to the east, to the northeastern part of the Pennsylvania State University campus, where it stands today. The relocation began in 1959 and was completed in the summer of 1960.

At the new location, the stadium was expanded to include 16,000 additional seats, and the stands, which seated 46,000, were shaped like a horseshoe. Over the years, the stands remained single-tiered until 1991 when a huge second tier was added behind the northern gate, and a decade later, two more tiers were added behind the southern gate. In 2001, 60 skyboxes were added to the crown of the highest single-tier stand—the eastern one. The total number of rows in this stand is 112! Since the stadium’s establishment in 1960, its history has been one of continuous expansion, reaching its current capacity of over 106,000 seats.