Penn State made a decisive early move against SMU last week, leaving its offense on the field for a pivotal 4th-and-1 attempt from its own 19-yard line. The conversion fell short, primarily because of a misplayed snap, and the Mustangs took over down 14-0 in prime position to reframe the game.

No. 6 seed Penn State used two first-half interception returns for touchdowns to jumpstart a 38-10 blowout of No. 11 seed SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions will move on to meet No. 3 seed Boise State in the first Playoff quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Who is Tyler Warren? The Penn State tight end was the best at his position in college football this season. Here's what to know:

SportsLine's model simulated Saturday's Penn State Nittany Lions vs. SMU Mustangs College Football Playoff first round matchup 10,000 times

The second game of the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is ready to kick off. The SMU Mustangs will be taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions for the right to take on the Boise State Broncos in the quarterfinals.

Boise State holds a 3-0 all-time record in the Fiesta Bowl with victories in 2007, 2010 and 2014.  The Broncos were an underdog in all three matchups. Adrian Pe

For Boise State, years of being the best program outside the power conference have finally culminated in a chance to play for the national title. Undefeated seasons in 2006 and 2009 ended with Fiesta Bowl wins but came before the four-team Playoff. This season is Boise’s 10th with 12 wins since 2002.

This ever-improving combination figures to be a deciding point in Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl playoff game against the Boise State Broncos. While the Group of 5 Broncos own one of the top pass-rushing defenses in the nation (51 sacks in 13 games) they haven't faced anything like the Penn State run game − at least since a September loss to Oregon.