SMU is coming into this game with an 11-2 record this season and they have had a great season, but they have not been tested by many strong opponents this season. They have only played 2 ranked teams this season and both of those games were their 2 losses, losing at home to BYU 18-15 and losing in a neutral location against Clemson 34-31 in the ACC Championship. They made that game against Clemson very close in the end, but they were trailing 24-7 by halftime and had to claw their way back in that game. They are going up against a Penn State team that is 11-2 this season and they have also had a great year. They played 3 ranked teams this season and lost 2 games, but those 2 losses came against top 6 teams in the country in Ohio State and Oregon. Their 1 ranked win was against Illinois 21-7. They lost to Oregon 45-37 in the Big 10 Championship, but they were able to match Oregon in that game and were right there the whole time. Both of these teams have been running the ball very well all season and both have great run defenses, but Penn State has the better quarterback in Drew Allar and he is going to be able to pick apart this SMU secondary like other strong passing offenses have been able to do. Penn State has a much better defense than any team SMU has faced this season as well, so they are not going to be able to come back like they did against Clemson if they fall behind here. Penn State is going to be able to pull away in this game as they try to solidify themselves as a power in the playoffs right away, and the cold weather could also play a factor for a team like SMU. Penn State will cover the spread in this game.