The SMU Mustangs and the Stanford Cardinal will meet on Saturday in college football action from Stanford Stadium. Here’s a Stanford vs SMU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Stanford vs SMU pick.
SMU Mustangs Betting Preview
The Mustangs posted a couple of wins to start the year, beating Nevada 29-24 and Houston Christian 59-7. SMU took a loss to BYU 18-15 in game three, but bounced back with blowout wins over TCU 66-42 and Florida State 42-16 in the next pair.
In their latest matchup versus Louisville, SMU had a pretty tight outcome. The Mustangs were outscored 14-10 in the second half but managed to power out the win 34-27. QB Kevin Jennings logged 281 yards passing and also led the rush with 10 carries for 113 yards and a TD.
Stanford Cardinal Betting Preview
Over on the Cardinal’s side, they lost 34-27 to TCU in their opener, but then came back with wins over Cal Poly 41-7 and Syracuse 26-24 in the next pair. Stanford would then lose to Clemson 40-14 and Virginia Tech 31-7 for a 2-3 start.
Matched up against Notre Dame last weekend, Stanford gave up 14 points in the second quarter and 21 more in the third on the way to a 49-7 blowout loss. Ashton Daniels threw for 74 yards in the defeat, and lead rusher Chris Davis had 45 yards off 10 totes.
Why the Stanford Cardinal will win
- Stanford has covered the spread in three of its last four October home games against AP-ranked teams.
Why the SMU Mustangs will win
- Stanford has lost each of its last 15 games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.
- SMU has won 15 of its last 16 games against conference opponents.
- Stanford has failed to cover the spread in 14 of its last 15 games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.
- SMU has covered the spread in each of its last four October games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Stanford has lost the first half in seven of its last eight home games against conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Six of SMU’s last seven October games as a favorite have gone OVER the total points line.
- Five of Stanford’s last six games against conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Stanford vs SMU Prediction
I’m leaning toward SMU. The Mustangs powered out a gritty win over a resilient Louisville team in their last outing despite giving up 461 yards (329 passing) and 6.7 yards per play. SMU logged 481 yards (291 passing) of offense themselves, along with 25 first downs and 5-of-11 on third-down tries.
As for Stanford, last weekend they ran into a brick wall against Notre Dame last weekend. The Cardinal totaled just 200 yards (87 passing), 14 first downs and 4-of-12 on third-down tries. On defense Stanford gave up 477 yards (229 rushing), 7.2 yards per play and 24 first downs. SMU may not post quite such an onslaught, but it’s going to be tough for Stanford to stay in cover range.