Week 3: Maryland vs SMU 9/17/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Maryland Terrapins and SMU Mustangs do battle Saturday in week 3 college football action from Byrd Stadium. SMU just finished up against Lamar. In that one the Mustangs took a blowout win. As for the Terrapins, they played Charlotte in their last game. Maryland ended up winning big in their matchup as well. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

SMU kicked off their season versus North Texas and didn’t have much trouble. The Mustangs scored 31 points in the first half alone on the way to a 48-10 win. QB Tanner Mordecai posted 432 yards and four touchdowns, while Rashee Rice caught eight balls for 166 yards and a TD. 

In game two versus Lamar, SMU scored 14 points in both the first and third quarters during a 45-16 blowout win. Mordecai finished with 212 yards, three scores and a pick. Velton Gardner led the rush on 11 carries for 100 yards, and Rice bagged 132 yards and two TDs from nine catches. 

Over on the Maryland side, their year began versus Buffalo. The Terrapins scored in every quarter during a 31-10 win. Taulia Tagovailoa managed 290 pass yards with an interception, and Roman Hemby led the rush with 114 yards and two scores off seven carries. 

In game two against Charlotte, Maryland scored 35 points in the first half alone on the way to a 56-21 victory. Tagovailoa bagged 391 yards with four scores and a pick on 27-of-31 passing. Jacob Copeland led the receivers with his 110 yards and two touchdowns from four grabs. 

The Mustangs are 6-2 ATS in their last eight non-conference games and 2-5 ATS in the last seven overall. SMU is 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. 

Meanwhile, Maryland is 5-1 ATS in their last six non-conference games and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 overall. The Terrapins are 16-37 ATS versus a team with a winning record. 

PICK: I’m going to take a stab on SMU. We should have a pretty fun matchup here regardless, though. The Mustangs have a couple of strong offensive performances under their belt so far. In the Lamar game, SMU posted 453 total yards with 6.9 yards per play and 23 first downs. There were a couple of bumps in the road—specifically three turnovers and seven penalties—but overall it was another solid win. 

As for Maryland, they posted a whopping 617 yards of offense in the Charlotte game along with 26 first downs and just one punt. SMU should prove to be a more comparable matchup however, and I like the Mustangs to stay in range here. Should be a good one.