Many immediately questioned SMU with how they performed and what the final score was in their appearance in the College Football Playoff. Regardless of that, though, Rhett Lashlee doesn’t doubt that the Mustangs should have been in the field.

This is the very first college football playoff appearance for both programs. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions have been a mainstay in the postseason, playing in a bowl game every year since he was hired 2014 outside of the COVID year. However, this is the first time the stakes have been this big.