Franklin, Penn State Rout SMU as Fans Eye Upset of Jeanty, Boise State in CFP Bracket

James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions earned a trip to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals with an emphatic first-round victory.

The Nittany Lions brought in three turnovers in Saturday's first half on their way to a 38-10 rout of SMU.

Penn State opened the scoring when Dominic DeLuca returned an interception for a 23-yard touchdown on SMU's second drive of the game.

The Mustangs' next possession ended in a punt, and linebacker Tony Rojas turned their following drive into a 59-yard interception return.

DeLuca hauled in another interception to cap off the second quarter and force SMU to concede its third turnover of the game.

The Nittany Lions had claimed such a comfortable lead by the final 15 minutes that they started putting depth players out onto the field.

These changes included pulling Drew Allar in favor of backup quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, as well as slotting in freshman defenders who allowed SMU's first touchdown of the game.

Penn State's ability to rest Allar and other starters boosted fans' hopes of how far the Nittany Lions are destined to go in the first expanded playoff.

Penn State is now set to face Boise State, and a run game led by Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty, at the upcoming Fiesta Bowl.

Boise State fans meanwhile questioned whether Saturday's blowout of SMU showed Penn State is ready to unseat a top-four seed.

The Nittany Lions' run defense, which held the Mustangs to 58 rushing yards on Saturday, is now slated to face a tough challenge in Jeanty. The Broncos star averaged 192 rushing yards per game during the regular season.

The Fiesta Bowl will mark the first time Penn State and Boise State have faced one another. A trip to the semifinals will be on the line when these two teams kick off in State College on Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.