Penn State made a decisive early move against SMU last week, leaving its offense on the field for a pivotal 4th-and-1 attempt from its own 19-yard line. The conversion fell short, primarily because of a misplayed snap, and the Mustangs took over down 14-0 in prime position to reframe the game.

No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

SportsLine's model simulated Saturday's Penn State Nittany Lions vs. SMU Mustangs College Football Playoff first round matchup 10,000 times

Penn State football flexed its muscles on both side of the ball to beat down SMU in the Nittany Lions' College Football Playoff opener.

Boise State holds a 3-0 all-time record in the Fiesta Bowl with victories in 2007, 2010 and 2014.  The Broncos were an underdog in all three matchups. Adrian Pe

Beaver Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in around the entirety of college football so the Mustangs will have their hands full. SMU will need to control the crowd before it gets to be too late if they want any chance of pulling the upset.