Penn State vs. SMU
Penn State and SMU first met in 1947 and have played 3 times; Penn State leads the series 2–0–1. Over the last 3 meetings it’s Penn State 2–0, and Penn State has won the last 2. Share
- Penn State wins
- 2
- SMU wins
- 0
- Ties
- 1
- First meeting
- 1947
- Longest streak
- 2 Penn State
- Current streak
- 2 Penn State
- Last 10 meetings
- Penn State 2–0
- Most recent
- 2024
The series at a glance
- Both ranked
- 2 meetings: Penn State 1, SMU 0; 1 both in the top 10
- Average margin
- 11 points; 1 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Penn State
- 2–0 Penn State’s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 0–0–1 Penn State first
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Named most valuable
| Steve Suhey Penn State | 1947 |
| Doak Walker SMU | 1947 |
Most valuable: as the games’ Wikipedia articles name them (CC BY-SA).
Photos
The Matchday programme available at the Cotton Bowl ClassicPhoto: Susan Natalie Freeman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
From the rivalry’s and its games’ categories on Wikimedia Commons (free licenses only, each credited).
Every game
| Dec 21, 2024 | 5Penn State 38, 12SMU 10 | at Penn State | CFP First Round | |
| Sep 23, 1978 | 3Penn State 26, SMU 21 | at Penn State | ||
| Jan 1, 1948 | 5Penn State 13, 4SMU 13 | Neutral site | Cotton Bowl |
Every game is listed as played on the field.