The No. 11 SMU Mustangs and the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions will face off in the first round of the College Football Playoffs (CFP). The match will take place at Beaver Stadium in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Dec. 21, and is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.

SMU is 11-2 overall and 8-0 in conference. The Mustangs lost in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to the Clemson Tigers, knocking them out of a top-four seed. Penn State is 11-2 overall and 8-1 in conference in the Big Ten.

The CFP has moved to a 12-team playoff format that allows the highest ranked winners of the top four conferences to take the top four seeds. The highest ranked winner of a fifth conference will take the 12th seed, if the team is not ranked higher than 12. The rest of the playoff field is filled out by ranking in a bracket released by the CFP committee. The top four seeds earn a first-round bye.

The winner of SMU vs. Penn State will go on to face the Boise State Broncos in the Fiesta Bowl.

SMU vs. Penn State football kickoff time and network

The SMU vs. Penn State football game is scheduled for a 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT start on TNT/Max on Saturday, Dec. 21.

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The game will air on TNT/Max through a five-year deal between TNT and ESPN to sub-license CFP games. The broadcast crew will still be handled by ESPN. Therefore, Mark Jones is expected to do the play-by-play, while Roddy Jones joins him in the booth, and Quint Kessenich reports from the sideline.

Best streaming services for SMU vs. Penn State football game

You need to choose a streaming service to watch college football without cable or satellite TV. We've found some of the best streaming services to consider for the SMU vs. Penn State football game on TNT/Max. 

Most live sports: YouTube TV

YouTube TV's base plan is $49.99 per month for two months for new subscribers ($72.99 per month regularly). The base plan includes over 100 live TV channels, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and NBA TV.

Most channels: Sling TV

Sling TV suggests the streamer's Orange Plan for the game, which costs $20 for the first month and $40 monthly after that.

Sling TV’s sports channels feature ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV

FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and the option to watch on 10 screens at once. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, FOX, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NFL Network, and SEC Network. 

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