Penn State's Dom DeLuca went from walk-on to captain with the Nittany Lions. "You can't help but love Dom," Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen said.

A missed opportunity for SMU against Penn State has grown into the controversy it was hoping to avoid after getting the last at-large invite over Alabama,

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

The first round of the College Football Playoff continues with Penn State hosting SMU. Follow along for live updates and analysis.

For the CFP first-round game between Penn State and SMU, ESPN’s Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich will be on the call.

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.

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.

After Penn State easily dispatched SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions face off against Boise State on New Year’s Eve in the first quarterfinal matchup before the triple header on New Year’s Day.