SMU vs Tulane Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
SMU (6-4, 4-2) will be traveling to face Tulane (8-2, 5-1) for some Thursday night college football in the American Athletic Conference. Each team is near the top standings, and a win or loss could be decisive for the possible matchups in the conference title game.
The Mustangs are coming off a week in which they faced South Florida, winning 41-23 and having a big third quarter with 21 points. The Green Wave suffered their second season loss at the hands of UCF, losing 38-31.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports, and college football lines for SMU vs Tulane. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
SMU’s Important Passing Game
The passing game has played a crucial role in SMU’s season. The attack has been the offense’s engine, leading to the highest-scoring offense in the conference. While the defense has been their weakness, allowing opponents to keep games close.
Starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai has played well, with 2,780 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. In the last game against South Florida, he threw for 280 and two touchdowns, with a 70% completion.
The game before that was an offensive slugfest with Houston that ended 77-63 with the Mustangs on top, in which Mordecai threw nine touchdowns.
His favorite receiver has been Rashee Rice, who has 55 more receptions than the next player on the roster.
However, with an offense putting up the seventh-most passing yards in the nation, the defense has not held its own. It is giving up an average of 446.2 yards per game and 32.6 points with at least two touchdowns through the air.
Tulane Complimentary Football
Tulane’s game with UCF could have easily decided who would be in the American Athletic Conference title game. The Green Wave still has a chance to make it and get a rematch, needing to win out, which starts against SMU.
The defense for the Green Wave has been the rock, averaging 19 points allowed per game. Before last week’s game, they had only allowed more than 30 points once. It holds up against the nation, ranked in the top 20 in points and yards allowed per game.
On offense, running back Tyjae Spears has been a spark, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Facing UCF, he had 130 yards on just carries, with a long run of 70, which led to Tulane’s first touchdown. On the other hand, three of the other four scoring drives were over 10 plays and 70 yards, two coming in the second half, wearing down the opponent’s defense. That led to a late comeback to make it interesting.
SMU vs Tulane Game Injuries
SMU vs Tulane Head-to-Head
SMU is currently on a seven-game win streak over Tulane, who only has one win in the last 10 meetings.
SMU vs Tulane Game Information
- Date: Thursday, November 17th
- Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
- Location: Yulman Stadium, New Orleans, LA
- SMU vs Tulane Live Stream: ESPN
SMU vs Tulane Betting Lines
SMU vs Tulane Prediction
Tulane’s defense will have an opportunity to redeem itself against another high-powered offense in SMU.
The Green Wave defense should be better against a more traditional offense in the Mustangs, while the offense has shown enough to take advantage of a weaker defense.
