A conference silver medal became the golden ticket with this College Football Playoff selection committee. See SMU's bid and Penn State's seeding.

Compare Penn State’s path to Ohio State’s. The Buckeyes are 7 1/2-point favorites at home against Tennessee. If they win, they have to play Oregon, the undefeated Big Ten champs. Some would argue Oregon’s path to the national title is tougher than Penn State’s, but I won’t go that far. Getting the first-round bye is still significant.

SMU heads up to the frigid north to take on Penn State in front of over 106,000 fans at Beaver Stadium with a trip to the CFP quarterfinals on the line.