SMU vs. Penn State: How to watch NCAA football this weekend, kickoff time, channel and more

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 07: Drew Allar (15), quarterback of the Penn State Nittany Lions, runs during the Big Ten Championship Game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Oregon Ducks on December 07, 2024 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, up. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) — Drew Allar and the Penn State Nittany Lions will play the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Here’s how to watch. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Although Penn State is still recovering from its Big Ten Championship game loss to the Oregon Ducks, they head into the College Football Playoff with home field advantage when they take on the SMU Mustangs this Saturday. The Nittany Lions last played the Mustangs in 1978, who were also recovering from their Atlantic Coast Conference championship loss to Clemson. The game is one of four first-round matchups to be played this weekend in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the SMU vs. Penn State game and stay up to date with live gameday updates.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s SMU vs. Penn State game:

Date: Saturday December 21st

Time: 12pm ET

TV channels: TNT

Streaming: Max, DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and more

Where to watch the SMU vs. Penn State game? Game on TV:

This week’s game between SMU and Penn State will be broadcast live on TNT at 12 p.m. ET.

Where to watch the SMU vs. Penn State game without cable:

TNT, which will broadcast this week’s game between SMU and Penn State, is available on multiple streaming platforms including DirecTV and Hulu with Live TV. You can also stream games on TNT with a Max subscription.

DIRECTV has the channels you need to watch college sports live, including this weekend’s College Football Playoff game between SMU and Penn State. The platform offers access to channels such as TNT, ABC, ESPN, FOX Sports, NBA TV and over 40 regional sports channels, making it one of the most comprehensive places to watch sports. After a free trial, packages start at $74.99/month.

Try it for free at DirecTV

For entertainment fans, “Max” has been “the one to watch” for quite some time, but now it’s the turn of sports fans too. For an indefinite, limited period of time, Max subscribers can get the new B/R Sports add-on completely free. This means that with your Max subscription you can watch every game broadcast on TBS, TNT and truTV!

$9.99/month at max

This week’s 2024 NCAAF schedule:

Always east

Tuesday, December 17th

No. 25 Memphis vs. West Virginia (Frisco Bowl) | 9 p.m. | ESPN

Wednesday December 18th

James Madison vs. Western Kentucky (Boca Raton Bowl) | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN

No. 24 UNLV vs. Cal (LA Bowl) | 9 p.m. | ESPN

Thursday, December 19th

Sam Houston vs. Georgia Southern (New Orleans Bowl) | 7 p.m. | ESPN2

Friday, December 20th

Ohio vs. Jacksonville State (Cure Bowl) | 12pm | ESPN

Florida vs. Tulane (Gasparilla Bowl) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN

No. 8 Indiana at No. 5 Notre Dame (first round of the College Football Playoff) | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Saturday December 21st

No. 10 SMU at No. 4 Penn State (College Football Playoff first round) | 12pm | TNT/MAX

UC Davis/South Dakota vs. Idaho/Montana State (FCS semifinals) | 12 or 3:30 p.m. | ABC

UIW/South Dakota State vs. Mercer/North Dakota State (FCS Semifinals) | 12 or 3:30 p.m. | ABC

TBD vs. TBD (DII Championship Game in McKinney, TX) | 2 p.m. | ESPN2

No. 16 Clemson at No. 3 Texas (first round of the College Football Playoff) | 4 p.m. | TNT/MAX

No. 7 Tennessee at No. 6 Ohio State (first round of the College Football Playoff) | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

TBD vs. TBD (DIII Semifinals) | TBA | ESPN+

Monday, December 23rd

Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA (Myrtle Beach Bowl) | 11am | ESPN

Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State (famous Idaho Potato Bowl) | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN

How to watch NCAAF games in 2024:

NCAA football games are broadcast on a variety of channels, from major cable networks including the full ESPN suite (that’s also ESPN2 and ESPNU), Fox and FS1, ABC, NBC and CBS to CBSSN, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and ACC Network and more.

Overwhelmed? You’re not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend ahead of the 2024 NCAA football season so that watching your favorite team’s games as the game begins is as easy as turning on the TV.

(DirectTV)

DirecTV Stream’s Choice tier (currently $105.98/month with fees) gets you access to all the usual football suspects: NFL Network, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox. Additionally, with the Choice tier you get CBSSN, FS1, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and numerous local RSNs. The best part is that you can currently try it all for free. So if you’re interested in trying out a live TV streaming service for football season but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV Stream.

You also get unlimited cloud DVR storage included with the DirecTV package you choose.

Advantages

Free trial of full package available
Many local RSNs included
Unlimited Cloud DVR

Disadvantages

Cost
ABC and ESPN are not currently included

Try it for free at DirecTV

(Fubo)

With Fubo TV you have access to ESPN, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC and over 100 other live channels. Starting at $80/month, the live TV streaming service is definitely expensive (but certainly not the most expensive option on this list), but offers almost every channel you need to watch both the NCAA football season and the NFL -Season 2024. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage. Now get $30 off your first month of any Fubo tier.

Advantages