The first ranked team in action around College Football Week 9 is No. 16 SMU, and the unbeaten Mustangs are favored on the NCAAF odds Thursday for their trip to Houston in American Athletic Association action.
How to Bet SMU vs Houston NCAA Football Odds & TV Info
- When: Thursday, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: TDECU Stadium
- TV: ESPN
- College Football Week 9 Odds: SMU -14.5 (Total 66.5)
SMU vs Houston Last Season
SMU beat visiting Houston 45-31 last year when the Cougars were ranked 17th. Ben Hicks threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns in the win – he’s now with SMU any longer. The Mustangs never trailed, jumping out to a 17-0 lead after Hicks threw his second TD, a 17-yarder to Tyler Page less than a minute into the second quarter.
After the Cougars got within 38-31 on quarterback D’Eriq King’s 3-yard touchdown run with 9:34 left, SMU went on a time-consuming 13-play drive that ended with Ke’Mon Freeman’s second touchdown run, an 8-yarder with 2:43 left. King had two passing TDs and a rushing score.
Weather Forecast
- Mostly Cloudy: 26°C/78°F
- Humidity: 68%
- Precipitation: 12%
- Cloud Cover: 74%
- Wind: 12 mph E
- Stadium Type: Open
Why Bet on SMU?
Coach Sonny Dykes is a National Coach of the Year candidate with his team unbeaten. SMU was picked to finish fourth in the AAC West Division by the media in the preseason.
The Mustangs knocked off No. 25 Temple 45-21 on Saturday. Texas transfer Shane Buechele set career highs with six touchdown passes and 457 passing yards. Buechele has won the last nine games in which he’s played, and the last 12 in which he’s thrown more than two passes. Reggie Roberson Jr. had a career-high 250 receiving yards on seven catches, including touchdowns of 75, 75 and 33 yards. The 250 yards ties for fourth on The American’s single-game chart.
Rewriting History
The Mustangs have opened the season with seven straight wins for the first time since 1982, when they were 10-0-0 en route to an 11-0-1 finish. The seven-game winning streak is their longest since winning eight straight during the 1984-85 seasons. SMU (3-0 American) remains in first place in the West Division. The Mustangs have at least 37 points in each game this year and is averaging 44.3 on the season.
SMU set an American Athletic Conference record with 109 offensive plays against Temple. The previous record of 107 plays was held by Tulsa, which did it in 2015 and 2018.The Mustangs had 655 total yards and have 500+ yards 4 times this season. SMU is one of 10 unbeaten FBS teams nationally and one of nine teams that are 7-0. The other 7-0 teams are Alabama, Baylor, Clemson, LSU, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State. Appalachian State is 6-0.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 44.17
- Passing Yards: 291.83
- Rushing Yards: 207.00
- Yards per Play: 6.12
- Points per Game: 28.33
- Passing Yards: 259.33
- Rushing Yards: 126.83
- Yards per Play: 5.15
Why Bet on Houston?
Houston’s Dana Holgorsen and SMU’s Sonny Dykes spent seven seasons together on staff at Texas Tech from 2000-07. During their time together in Lubbock, Texas Tech made seven straight bowl appearances and won 56 games.
Houston won at UConn 24-17 on Saturday. Sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Singleton hauled in two passes for 103 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown. Making the first start of his career, freshman Logan Holgorsen threw for 123 passing yards and a touchdown, while junior running back Kyle Porter added 68 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Houston went 0-for-8 on third down to start the game, but converted its last three third downs to clinch the victory against the Huskies. Junior Grant Stuard is second in The American with 64 total tackles this season. Stuard turned in his best performance of the year at UConn, picking up a career-high 15 tackles. Stuard’s made a touchdown saving tackle in the third quarter against the Huskies that eventually led to a goal line stand for the Cougars.
Some Numbers
The Cougars are 0-3 against top-25 teams and 3-1 against unranked teams in 2019.
Houston is 5-2 against ranked opponents inside TDECU Stadium since its opening in 2014. The Cougars’ last win over a ranked opponent came in 2018 as Houston defeated then No. 17 USF, 57-36. The Cougars are 36-99-5 all-time against top 25 opponents.
Houston is third in The American and 22nd in FBS in rushing offense averaging 221.6 yards per game. The Cougars are one of five programs to have four different players with at least one 100-yard rushing game this season, joining Air Force, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, South Carolina, Wake Forest and Wyoming. The Cougars are sixth nationally with 58 rushes of 10-plus yards and the Cougars have 16 rushing attempts that have gone for 20 or more yards.
Team Stats
Offense- Points per Game: 32.00
- Passing Yards: 171.00
- Rushing Yards: 240.83
- Yards per Play: 6.18
- Points per Game: 33.00
- Passing Yards: 304.83
- Rushing Yards: 175.00
- Yards per Play: 6.92
SMU vs Houston College Football Week 9 Betting Trends
- Under is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings in Houston
- Home team is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings
- Mustangs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games on the road
- Mustangs are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played in week 9
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Southern Methodist’s last 5 games this season
- Cougars are 16-4 SU in their last 20 games at home
- Cougars are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games this season
- The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Houston’s last 12 games played in October
Expert Final Score Prediction for SMU vs Houston
SMU 42 – Houston 38
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