This is not about validation exactly. Still, it kind of is. For SMU and Penn State both.

And each side knows it.

When the 11th-seeded Mustangs (11-2) walk into wintry Beaver Stadium on Saturday to meet the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (11-2) in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff, they know there’s more than a few people — particularly those that live in Alabama — who think they have no right to be there in the first place.

“I think we feel like not necessarily want to prove doubters wrong,” said safety Jonathan McGill, a graduate transfer from Stanford. “But I feel like we want to prove ourselves right more than anything. ... We deserve to be at this stage and on this platform.”

A platform Penn State has finally reached after spending the last decade on the fringe of the playoff conversation but unable — thanks largely to nearly annual pratfalls against Ohio State — to actually butt in.

If the 12-team field had existed from the CFP’s inception, the Nittany Lions might have been a fixture. Only, the field was limited to four teams during its first 10 iterations. And despite finishing in the top 12 in the final CFP ranking a half-dozen times before 2024, they never saw “Penn State” pop up on the bracket until the selection committee gave them a home game against a program that’s gotten awfully comfortable awfully quickly at upending the status quo.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL

Jaylon Jimmerson returned the first of his two interceptions 28 yards for a touchdown in the opening minutes, Hunter Watson accounted for three touchdowns and Sam Houston beat Georgia Southern 31-26 at the New Orleans Bowl.

Brad Cornelsen served as acting head coach for Sam Houston (10-3) following KC Keeler’s departure at the end of the regular season to take over at Temple. The Bearkats won in their first bowl appearance at the FBS level after leaving the FCS to join Conference USA in 2023.

Watson was 23-of-28 passing for 213 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown to Simeon Evans that gave Sam Houston the lead for good at 14-7 with 5:46 left in the first half. Watson added a 2-yard touchdown run less than 3 minutes later and scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth that made it 28-19.

Georgia Southern (8-5) had 393 total yards and limited the Bearkats to just 267. But the Eagles committed five turnovers, including four interceptions.

Jalen White had 90 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries for Georgia Southern. The Eagles made their third straight bowl appearance since the hiring of coach Clay Helton in 2022. Georgia Southern, which lost 23-21 to Buffalo at the 2022 Camelia Bowl and 41-21 to Ohio at the Myrtle Beach Bowl last season, is 3-4 all time in bowl games.

Gasparilla Bowl

Florida is brimming with confidence after turning its season around. Tulane is looking to regain some swagger.

The Gators (7-5) and Green Wave (9-4) meet in today’s Gasparilla Bowl at Tampa, with Florida playing just two hours south of its campus and aiming to build on a late surge under coach Billy Napier.

Tulane, which has lost its past two games, is trying to finish strong against a Power Four opponent after tumbling out of the Top 25.

“It’s a tough draw. We all know that,” Green Wave coach Jon Sumrall said. “We’re playing Florida in their backyards, and they are playing like one of the best three or four SEC teams the last month of the season.”

Florida won its last three regular-season games, rallied on the recruiting trail to finish with the 11th-ranked class and has several upperclassmen returning in 2025 — including defensive tackle Caleb Banks, defensive end Tyreak Sapp and All-American center Jake Slaughter.

All of that happened after athletic director Scott Stricklin guaranteed the once-embattled Napier would return in 2025.

“We’ve gotten to a place where we think we could beat anybody,” Napier said. “This team has a ton of confidence. I think that comes from the work. I think they realize the results that they’ve gotten are because of the mindset and the approach they’ve taken toward the work.

“So we’ve seen that carry over. Lot of other things have happened in a positive light as well. Signing Day went well. I think we’ve been able to retain a huge portion of our roster for next year.”