Sixth-seeded Penn State (11-2) is preparing to take on No. 11 SMU (11-2) in a College Football Playoff 1st-round matchup at Beaver Stadium this Saturday (12 pm, TNT). And it’s a matchup that could propel both the PSU program and quarterback Drew Allar to new heights.

Penn State is a 9-point favorite, via DraftKings Sportsbook.

This will be the 3rd all-time meeting between the Nittany Lions and Mustangs, with the 2 playing to a 13-13 tie in the 1948 Cotton Bowl and PSU claiming a 26-21 win in a 1978 regular-season contest.

Certainly, a lot has changed across the college football landscape since those contests.

The Mustangs are enjoying an unforeseen standout debut campaign in the ACC. Despite an early season change at quarterback, Rhett Lashlee directed this team to an 8-0 league mark, and the squad’s 2 losses came by a combined 6 points. The Mustangs’ high-octane offense and aggressiveness on both sides of the ball led to this point, which didn’t seem at all possible after they had to score 18 unanswered points in the final 8-plus minutes of the season opener to beat Nevada and then fell to BYU on Sept. 6.

But things started clicking when they scored 66 points against TCU to begin a stretch of 9 out of 10 games in which they scored at least 30. And the defense allowed a total of 13 points in wins over Virginia and Cal to end the regular season, setting up an ACC title game clash against Clemson, a game in which the Mustangs battled back from 17 points down to tie in an eventual 34-31 loss on a last-second field goal. However, quarterback Kevin Jennings has thrown 7 interceptions in his past 7 games, and the Mustangs have committed 21 turnovers on the season.

The CFP selection committee still granted the Mustangs a berth in the expanded field, leading to a draw with a Penn State squad that went 11-0 against teams not ranked in the top 6. Much has been made of James Franklin’s performances in marquee games. One could argue, though, that the Nittany Lions have as good of a draw as any team, with a possible matchup looming against Boise State if they take care of business this week.

And Saturday’s matchup could just be the beginning of a special run for Allar, who announced on Monday that he is returning to Penn State in 2025.

Despite coming up short on the big stage in a home loss to Ohio State and to Oregon in the B1G title game, Allar and the offense battled back from a 28-10 1st-half deficit in Indianapolis. Often in big games under Franklin, the Nittany Lions’ offense had gone missing, so it’s a positive development that the unit was able to hang with the Ducks.

Allar had a strong season despite not having a bevy of playmakers at the receiver position. He ranks 3rd in the conference in yards per attempt (8.9) and has a 21-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has installed a more aggressive scheme this year, and it has led to Allar’s yards-per-attempt average to go up from 6.8 in 2023.

Now, the 6-5, 235-pounder has a chance to establish himself as a premier quarterback and boost his stock for the 2026 NFL Draft by having a strong showing in the CFP, as well as a potentially defining senior season. Allar has already thrown for 5,869 yards and 50 touchdowns in his Penn State career, and he’s sure to be on many preseason Heisman Trophy contender lists. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. had Allar listed at No. 4 in his latest quarterback rankings for the upcoming draft, so the sky could be the limit in 2025, with LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier arguably the lone QB to be ranked higher next year.

“For me, personally, it was a football decision, and that’s how I always have been operating,” Allar said of his decision to return next season. “Me and my family had extensive talks about it and weighed everything, and personally, I came to the conclusion myself that I felt like it’s best for my future.”

Allar noted that several parties were part of the discussions about his future, including Franklin, who has sent several notable players to the NFL.

“Obviously, there’s been a ton of conversations with NFL GMs and scouts to be able to provide NFL reports and information to our players of where they’re at and what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are,” Franklin said. “We take that information, make a decision and then, once the season is over, spend time attacking those things that people consider weaknesses.”

Allar has a 21-5 mark as the team’s starter, and he has the highest completion percentage (63.6 percent) of any quarterback in school history. He also has the highest passing efficiency rating (146.4) of any Nittany Lions quarterback, and he has thrown just 9 career interceptions in 773 attempts.

“Drew has been phenomenal, mom and dad have been phenomenal. … Obviously, he’s doing a ton of really good things, and he’s developing and getting better,” Franklin said. “I think there’s a lot of excitement, because I think they believe, and we believe, there’s still a lot of room for growth and development, and we want to be a part of that, and I think they trust us in that.”

That continued development starts Saturday in Happy Valley, and it has a chance to continue deeper into the CFP.

Red-zone issues held the Nittany Lions to 13 points against Ohio State, but they managed to tally 37 points and 518 yards against Oregon in Indianapolis. In the comeback, Allar looked the part of a former blue-chipper. Now he has a chance to cement his PSU legacy with a strong postseason and a huge 2025, positioning both head coach and quarterback to enjoy heights not seen in Happy Valley in quite a while.