SMU vs. Penn State weather: What’s the coldest game the Mustangs have ever played
By Scott Rogust
The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff officially begins this week. The first-round will feature elimination games at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded teams. The Penn State Nittany Lions made it into the Playoff as the No. 6 seed despite losses to the Ohio State Buckeyes and in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks.
But now, they host a College Football Playoff on Saturday at noon ET against the No. 11 SMU Mustangs. SMU joined the ACC and finished as the runner ups in the conference championship game against the Clemson Tigers, yet they managed to land a spot in the Playoff over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
For SMU, they are set to play not only in one of the toughest stadium for road teams in Happy Valley, but in some cold weather.
Penn State vs. SMU weather update: How cold will it be at Happy Valley for CFP First Round
On Friday, there is expected to be a coating to an inch of snow in University Park, Penn., according to Accuweather.
On Saturday afternoon, it's expected to be partly sunny and breezy with a snow shower, with a high of 29 degrees. But with 15 mph winds and 29mph wind gusts, the real feel temeperature is expected to be 17 degrees. So yes, it will be a cold one for the first round matchup of the College Football Playoff.
What is the coldest game SMU ever played in?
If the weather turns out to be accurate, this won't be the coldest game that the SMU football team has ever played in.
According to the team's official media guide entering the season, there is a tie for the coldest game-time temperature of 24 degrees. The first took place on Dec. 7, 2013 in a 17-13 loss to the UCF Knights. The other was on Dec. 24, 1983, in a 28-7 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
If the current temperature on Saturday holds as of this writing, this would be the third-coldest game SMU had ever played in. Let's take a look at some of the other coldest games in program history:
Date | Opponent and Result | Temperature |
|---|---|---|
Dec. 7, 2013 | vs. UCF (17-13 loss) | 24 degree |
Dec. 24, 1983 | Sun Bowl vs. Alabama (28-7 loss) | 24 degrees |
Dec. 1, 1984 | at UNLV (38-21 win) | 30 degrees |
Nov. 14, 1959 | vs. Arkansas (17-14 loss) | 34 degrees |
Nov. 18, 1972 | at Arkansas (22-7 win) | 34 degrees |
Dec. 17, 2022 | vs. BYU (24-23 loss) | 34 degrees |
We'll see if the temperature does change at University Park on Saturday in the coming days. Either way, it will be a cold one with the potential for snow. Will SMU be able to withstand the elements and pull off an upset, or will Penn State use their home field advantage to pick up the win?
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