Penn State vs. SMU Showdown: Nittany Lions Favored by 8.5

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00:00So let's start off with Happy Valley, where the Nittany Lions will be at home,

00:06their eight and a half point favorites against SMU. Biggest game in SMU's football, maybe history,

00:11or going back when, I guess, Eric Dickerson was running back there before they lost the program

00:15for a while. And that goes before, like, I can even remember stuff there, Bill. Total 53 and a

00:19half in the game. James Franklin, generally speaking, really good against any team that's

00:26very good. And then it gets difficult. So I wonder, this doesn't seem more about Penn State

00:32to me. It seems more about who SMU is. We're going to find out. I agree. And if I'm SMU,

00:39you have to get off to a fast start. You can't let that Beaver Stadium crowd get into the game.

00:43You know, if they get out, score on their first drive, use that tempo to push Penn State a little

00:48bit. And use a defense that, quite frankly, is a little bit underrated to stuff the run. They

00:53allow 74.7 yards per game on the ground. And if they can limit that tag team of Nick Singleton

00:59and Katron Allen, they have a chance. The narrative I keep getting with this game, Craig, is

01:04James Franklin, big game. Well, James Franklin's pretty good when they're picked to win. They've

01:09only lost one game as an underdog the last three years, the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss, where

01:14there were guys missing on both sides. And they're two and one against the spread when they're

01:18favored by 10 points or less this season. So where that spread's sitting, I think there is

01:23some blowout potential here with Penn State, with Drew Aller working the ball to Tyler Warren

01:28and that defense led by Abdul Carter. Give me the Nittany Lions by double digits.