Penn State-SMU: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream College Football Playoff

No. 6 Penn State (11-2) will make its College Football Playoff debut Saturday on TNT in a first-round matchup against No. 11 Southern Methodist University (11-2), a game nearly half a century in the making.

The last time the Nittany Lions and Mustangs took the field was 46 years ago at Beaver Stadium, the location of Saturday’s playoff game. That game took place on a relatively pleasant September day, while Saturday’s forecast is calling for temperatures in the 20s and a chance of some scattered snow showers.

“The pressure is on Penn State to be able to come in and win this first home game,” said Takeo Spikes, the one-time Eagles linebacker who is part of TNT’s pregame show, along with NFL Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, ex-New York Giants star Victor Cruz, and Philly native Adam Lefkoe.

Penn State finished the season with an 11-2 record in James Franklin’s 11th season as the Nittany Lions’ head coach, capped by a narrow loss to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten championship. Franklin has been dogged over his inability to win big games — Penn State is just 3-19 against top 10 teams during his tenure.

“It’ll be a challenge,” Frankin told reporters Wednesday. “I thought we had a challenge [against Oregon], and the guys did a great job stepping up to that. And we’re going to need to do that again on Saturday.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Nittany Lions’ debut in the College Football Playoff:

Saturday’s College Football Playoff game between Penn State and SMU will broadcast on TNT, with kickoff scheduled for noon. The game will also be simulcast on TruTV and TBS.

While the game will air on TNT, ESPN is producing the broadcast, which will feature play-by-play by Mark Jones and color commentary by Roddy Jones. Quint Kessenich will report from the sidelines at Beaver Stadium.

The game can also be heard on 1210 WPHT, with longtime play-by-play announcer Steve Jones and NFL Hall of Famer and former Nittany Lions linebacker Jack Ham on the call.

If you think it’s weird TNT is airing two College Football Playoff games Saturday, you’re not wrong.

ESPN, which owns the television rights to the College Football Playoff through the 2031-32 season, made a deal with TNT in May to sublicense 16 games over the next five years. The deal includes two first-round College Football Playoff games over the next five seasons, and a pair of quarterfinal games beginning in 2026.

The agreement came about around the time TNT’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, failed to reach a deal on NBA rights, which NBC and Amazon grabbed. But the company’s deal with ESPN to broadcast a handful of college football games wasn’t related to losing the NBA, according to network sources.

TNT also began airing Mountain West games this season, the network’s first slate of college football games since their sublicensing deal with Fox Sports expired in 2006.

Fans without a cable TV subscription can stream Penn State vs. SMU on Max, which is available for $9.99 a month. You’ll need the Bleacher Report Sports add-on, which is currently free but ultimately runs an additional $9.99 a month.

The game is also available on a host of so-called skinny bundles that carry TNT, including YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV stream, and Sling TV.

If you’re a Fubo subscriber, you’re out of luck — the sports-centric streaming service hasn’t carried any Warner Bros. Discovery channels since April due to a carriage dispute.

Saturday’s game is only the third time Penn State and SMU have taken the field together.

The Nittany Lions defeated the Mustangs 26-21 at Beaver Stadium in 1978 on their way to the national championship game, which they lost in a defensive battle to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

The only other time Penn State faced SMU was the 1948 Cotton Bowl, which ended in a 13-13 tie. It was the first Cotton Bowl to feature Black players, and the highest-profile college football game to include Black players in what was then a racially segregated Texas.

If Penn State wins Saturday, they’ll face No. 3 Boise State in the quarterfinals on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., in the Fiesta Bowl.