Saturday’s slate of College Football Playoff games begins at noon in Happy Valley, where Penn State will play SMU. For the first time, the playoffs feature a battle of runners-up in a conference championship game. The winner of this game will face Boise State in the quarterfinals.

Despite a conference championship loss to No. 1 Oregon, Penn State gets arguably the most favorable position in the 12-team field. Andy Kotelnicki’s offense has been on fire lately, averaging 39.8 points per game over the last five contests, including 37 points against Oregon in the Big Ten title game. Tight end Tyler Warren is as dynamic a player as you’ll see in college football, and quarterback Drew Allar continues to impress as a likely first-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Despite losing on a last-second field goal, SMU nearly overcame a 17-point halftime deficit against Clemson in the ACC Championship game. The Mustangs went 8-0 in the regular season against the ACC in their first year in the conference. Quarterback Kevin Jennings and running back Brashard Smith together form the most exciting backfield in college football.