Is Penn State Hosting 'America's Team' in the College Football Playoff?

Get to know the SMU Mustangs, who will visit Beaver Stadium for a first-round playoff game vs. the Nittany Lions.

Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Rhett Lashlee leads his team to the field before the 2024 ACC Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Penn State is officially locked in for its first College Football Playoff matchup. But as the playoff format encourages, the Nittany Lions will play a first-round game against an opponent they’re unfamiliar with: SMU. 

The Mustangs claimed the bracket’s No. 11 seed despite falling to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. Now they’ll visit Penn State for the first time since 1978, with both squads looking to rebound from a conference championship loss with a first-round playoff victory. Here’s what to know about SMU. 

SMU Mustangs season recap

The Mustangs began this year unranked after an 11-3 2023 season in the American Athletic Conference and didn’t crack the AP Poll until reaching No. 25 ranking in Week 7 — the day after they took down their first ranked opponent of the season. 

Rhett Lashlee’s squad did lose an early 18-15 contest to BYU but otherwise posted 196 points over four wins before an October matchup against Louisville. Including a pair of ranked wins over the Cardinals and Pitt, the Mustangs rolled into the ACC Championship against Clemson on a nine-game win streak. A 34-31 conference championship loss had the potential to sink SMU’s playoff hopes, but the Mustangs squeezed into the final bracket ahead of Alabama.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t win our championship last night. We’re disappointed in the outcome, not the effort. We dug ourselves too big of a whole in the first quarter against a really good team … which put our playoff hopes in a little bit of limbo,” Lashlee said Sunday after the bracket was announced. “We’re very grateful, very excited, that the entire body of work was rewarded.”

The Mustangs, with their underdog route to the postseason and even after the conference championship loss, took favor over Alabama (9-3) for the final playoff spot. Lashlee said he’s proud of how the committee stuck by his squad despite the loss to Clemson.

“I think it validates that SMU is back where we belong. We’re on the national stage, we’re in a big-time conference, we’re competing for a National Championship,” Lashlee said. “We earned the right to be in [the playoffs] before the conference championship weekend, I was really proud they rewarded that. … We kind of felt the last 12 hours, that we were almost like America’s Team.”

Rhett Lashlee’s tenure at SMU

Lashlee, who has an offensive background as a former coordinator and quarterbacks coach, became SMU’s head coach following the 2021 season. He has led the Mustangs to an overall 29-11 record, and 2024 marked its first season as a member of the ACC.

SMU’s 11-2 record this season was the best of Lashlee’s brief time with the team so far. Heading into the playoff game vs. Penn State, the Mustangs have faced just one Big Ten team (Maryland) under Lashlee. So the week off certainly has been a good time for both Penn State and SMU to deepen their knowledge of each other. 

“I have some background with Coach Lashlee, followed his career from afar,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Sunday. “SMU is interesting as a place. When I was at Vanderbilt, we went and visited them [to look at their stadium]. Looking forward to getting to know [SMU] a little bit better over the next couple days.”

Who are SMU’s top players?

Offensively, the Mustangs have gotten strong production from their air and ground attacks in 2024. Sophomore quarterback Kevin Jennings racked up 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding 379 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. At his side in the backfield has been senior running back Brashard Smith, who has 1,270 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns. SMU’s passing game is deep: Seven different players have at least 300 receiving yards, led by senior Roderick Daniels Jr.'s 599.

Defensively, SMU’s front seven is superb. Four players (Jahfari Harvey, Isaiah Smith, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Elijah Roberts) all posted at least five sacks this season. Linebacker Kobe Wilson (110 tackles) and safety Isiah Nwokobia (96 tackles) are two more names to keep an eye on in the back seven. 

SMU by the numbers

SMU ranked 20th in FBS this season in total offense (443.1 yards per game), a mark that was led by its passing game (26th in FBS with 267 passing yards per game). Defensively, the Mustangs have been strong against the run (93.4 rushing yards allowed per game, fourth in FBS) and boast a dominant pass rush (3.08 sacks per game, tied for 11th in FBS).

SMU’s efficiencies rank comparably with Penn State’s, save for offense. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Penn State ranks 10th overall, fourth offensively and 12th defensively. SMU is 13th overall, 22nd offensively and 11th defensively. Penn State ranks 30th in strength of schedule, while SMU is 57th. 

Soon, Lashlee’s squad will be making the trip to Happy Valley, looking to make some noise as underdogs against one of the country’s elite squads.

“I think they’re excited to play an incredible program like Penn State,” Lashlee said. “We know that Happy Valley is one of the best arenas in college football to play: 100,000 [fans], White Out, it’s gonna be incredibly tough. But if you’re a competitor, you want that opportunity.” 

SMU will visit Penn State on Dec. 21 for a noon ET kickoff at Beaver Stadium. TNT will televise.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.