SMU vs. Tulane point spread: Picking Mustangs vs. Green Wave

Tulane will look to bring home its second-straight American Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday. However, SMU won’t make it easy. Both teams have won eight or more games in a row, with their only losses this season coming against Power Five opponents.

The two programs boast a competitive history. SMU leads the all-time series, floating a 15-14 record over the Green Wave. Nonetheless, when the two teams met last season, Tulane walked away with a dominant 59-24 win. Patrick Meagher, who joined On3’s Andy Staples to discuss this weekend’s matchups, believes SMU will upset Tulane this year, who is a 5.5-points favorite, according to FanDuel.

How to watch SMU vs. Tulane

Time: 4 p.m. ET (Saturday)
Channel: ABC, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Yulman Stadium — New Orleans, La.

“The key to SMU this year has been their defense,” Meagher said. “They have an elite secondary; also a great pass rush. Tulane, while a running team last year obviously with Tyjae Spears, [Tulane quarterback] Michael Pratt is very good. He’s not good when he’s pressured. This will be by far the best pass rush that Pratt faces this year.

“Two of his best weapons didn’t play last week, that being [Lawrence] Keys and [Jha’Quan] Jackson. So I’m not sure why this number [spread]. I’m guessing it’s the quarterback questions for SMU. But, as I look right now… I love SMU in this spot.”

Andy Staples rides with the Mustangs

Meagher isn’t alone in his underdog pick. Staples likes what he’s seen from SMU lately. In fact, he was even impressed by the team’s losses.

“If you look at if you look at SMU, they played tough in Norman. That game was never all that close but they never let it get out of control. They did not let Oklahoma explode on them,” Staples said. “I don’t know how they lost to TCU, looking back, but they’ve won every game since then. And they’ve definitely been been scoring in bunches. So, I like this too.”

SMU fell 28-11 to Oklahoma in Week 2. While the final score doesn’t show it, the Mustangs outpaced the Sooners for the majority of this game. In the loss, SMU tallied 367 total yards of offense, two more yards than Oklahoma.

Additionally, SMU showed discipline. The team only committed two turnovers for 15 total negative yards. Meanwhile, the Sooners were scrambled, amassing nine penalties. Staples also wasn’t concerned by SMU’s 34-17 loss to TCU in Week 4.

Live stream on Fubo! Limited time offer: $40 off Fubo’s Pro, Elite and Premier plans

In the shortcoming, SMU threw two pivotal turnovers. However, once again, the Mustangs nearly out-gained their opponents and committed less penalties. Staples believes with a little luck, SMU can end up on top of a close one.