MEMPHIS vs SMU
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, November 16, 2018
Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas

TV: 9:00 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: SMU , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the SMU listed as 7 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 73.5.

SMU is in the driver’s seat of the American Athletic Conference’s West Division heading into Friday’s home game against Memphis. Back-to-back wins moved the Mustangs into a first-place tie with Houston and Tulane – teams they have already beaten.

The Tigers, who own an outside chance to winning the division, have won four straight in the series – outscoring SMU 228-62 in that span. Junior Darrell Henderson has recorded a dozen 100-yard rushing performances in his past 15 games for Memphis and leads the FBS with 9.2 yards per carry. He needs 183 yards to tie the American’s single-season record (1,629 by Tulsa’s James Flanders in 2016). SMU junior quarterback Ben Hicks has been solid since regaining his starting job four games ago but the Mustang defense had trouble slowing Connecticut’s ground game last week – allowing 365 yards.

TV: 9 ET, ESPN2. LINE: Memphis -9

ABOUT MEMPHIS (6-4, 3-3 American): Henderson leads the league with 1,446 rushing yards, shares the top spot with 17 rushing scores and is tied for the FBS lead with 20 total touchdowns. Junior Brady White (2,512 yards, 22 touchdowns and three interceptions) has connected with sophomore Damonte Coxie (58 catches, 949 yards) for a team-high seven touchdowns. John “Pop” Williams (28 catches, 275 yards, two touchdowns) leads the league in punt return average (12.9 yards) after a 72-yard return for a score last week against Tulsa.

ABOUT SMU (5-5, 4-2): Hicks (1,919 yards, 16 touchdown passes, four interceptions) has 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in his past four games. Healthy running backs Ke’Mon Freeman and Xavier Jones join Braeden West to combine for 1,110 rushing yards and 13 scores – including six rushing touchdowns in last week’s win at UConn. Sophomore Reggie Roberson Jr. (42 catches, 648 yards, six touchdowns) has at least one touchdown catch in four straight games while leading receiver James Proche (70 catches, 882 yards, nine touchdowns) has three 100-yard games this season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Memphis is 15-1 in regular-season weeknight games since 2014.

2. Henderson’s 3,082 career rushing yards are second in Memphis history, trailing only DeAngelo Williams’ 6,026 yards.

3. SMU has allowed 10 non-offensive touchdowns (four interceptions returned, three fumbles returned, two kickoff returns, one punt return).

PREDICTION: Memphis 48, SMU 40

The post MEMPHIS vs. SMU 11/16/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

SMU vs MICHIGAN
When: 3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 15, 2018
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

TV: 3:30 PM
LINE: -35.5
PREDICTION: MICHIGAN , SMU

Oddsmakers currently have the MICHIGAN listed as -35.5 point favorites versus the SMU, while the game’s total is sitting at 53.5.

No. 22 Michigan looks for its second straight win when it wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule at home against SMU on Saturday. The Wolverines bounced back from an opening week loss to eighth-ranked Notre Dame with a 49-3 victory over Western Michigan, which ended a four-game slide dating to last season, and Michigan hopes to stay on the winning track by beating an American Athletic Conference opponent for the third straight year.

“We want to start fast and play an entire 60 minutes,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters. “I like the way our team approached last week as they had an edge to them and I want to see that again this weekend.” Michigan routed Central Florida 51-14 in 2016 before taking down fellow AAC foe Cincinnati 36-14 last season and are 24-5-1 against teams currently in the American, including a 3-0 record since the conference’s inception in 2013. The Wolverines have won 10 of their last 11 non-conference games in the regular season and hope to knock off the Mustangs in their first meeting since 1963. SMU is off to a rocky start following back-to-back losses, including a 42-12 setback to 14th-ranked TCU in the Battle for the Iron Skillet, and hope to get back on track by notching a signature win under first-year head coach Sonny Dykes.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Michigan -35.5.

ABOUT SMU (0-2): Ben Hicks was limited to 111 yards on 18-of-38 passing as the Mustangs were held to 242 yards on offense en route to their seventh straight loss to the Horned Frogs. “We’ve just got to find a way to stay on the field and sustain some drives,” Hicks told reporters. “I think that’s something we’ve done a poor job of in the last two weeks.” Junior running back Braeden West was the lone bright spot on offense as he rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown to help put him over 100 all-purpose yards for the second straight game this season and for the 13th time in his career.

ABOUT MICHIGAN (1-1): Shea Patterson completed 12-of-17 passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns, including a 44-yard scoring strike to Nico Collins, which was the first TD pass from a Michigan quarterback to a wide receiver since Sept. 9, 2017. Karan Higdon ran for 156 yards and a touchdown while Chris Evans added another 86 on the ground to go along with a pair of TDs as the Wolverines racked up 308 rushing yards against Western Michigan. Nose tackle Aubrey Solomon will be sidelined for the next few weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee while fellow defensive lineman Lawrence Marshall is week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Michigan is 12-2 in the month of September under Harbaugh.
2. The Wolverines are 9-0 in non-conference home games since 2015.
3. Michigan has surrendered six points in the last six quarters.

PREDICTION: Michigan 45, SMU 10

The post SMU vs. MICHIGAN 9/15/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

TCU vs SMU
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, September 7, 2018
Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, Texas

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: SMU , TCU

Oddsmakers currently have the SMU listed as point favorites versus the TCU, while the game’s total is sitting at .

No. 16 TCU did exactly what it was supposed to do in Week 1 by thrashing an FCS opponent, hopefully preparing it for a schedule that is about to get considerably tougher. The Horned Frogs will get their first shot in front of a visiting crowd when they travel across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area to SMU on Friday.

TCU, which faces Ohio State in Week 3 before diving into the Big 12 slate, got a long look at the duel-threat abilities of sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson in the 55-7 victory over Southern last week. “It was awesome just to be out there with my guys,” Robinson told reporters after his five-touchdown performance. “We’ve been working since January. Just to finally get out there and get a game under our belts, it was a really, really cool experience.” The Mustangs are going to need to step up on defense against Robinson and company after surrendering 529 total yards in a 46-23 loss at North Texas on Saturday. SMU, which is under the guidance of new coach Sonny Dykes, trailed 36-0 in the fourth quarter and allowed at least 31 points in seven consecutive games going back to last season.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: TCU -21.5

ABOUT TCU (1-0): Robinson’s three passing TDs and two rushing scores gave him a leg up on fellow sophomore Michael Collins in what is still an open quarterback competition. Collins impressed with his arm strength in Week 1, adding a passing score and 71 yards in five attempts. “Mike can sling it,” wide receiver Jalen Reagor, who caught one of Robinson’s TD passes, told reporters. “He is pretty consistent, and just like Shawn, if he can gel and get in a rhythm then we can just mold into one.”

ABOUT SMU (0-1): Dykes’ offense managed only 24 yards in the first half against North Texas, and the Mustangs finished with four rushing yards in the contest. Dykes, who took over last December and coached the 51-10 Frisco Bowl loss to Louisiana Tech, served as an offensive analyst under Gary Patterson at TCU last season after being fired as the coach of California and is known for his offensive acumen. SMU’s most explosive offensive player in Week 1 was running back Braeden West, who did his best work as a receiver with three catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for a score.

EXTRA POINTS

1. TCU CB Michael Onyemaobi suffered an undisclosed season-ending injury in Week 1.

2. TCU took 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series, including a 56-36 victory last season.

3. Horned Frogs freshman WR Derius Davis was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after catching a TD pass and returning a punt for a score in the opener.

PREDICTION: TCU 50, SMU 17

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SMU vs NORTH TEXAS
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 1, 2018
Where: Apogee Stadium, Denton, Texas

TV: 7:30 PM
LINE: -4.5
PREDICTION: NORTH TEXAS , SMU

Oddsmakers currently have the NORTH TEXAS listed as -4.5 point favorites versus the SMU, while the game’s total is sitting at 71.5.

Record-breaking quarterbacks will face off when SMU travels to North Texas on Saturday night to open the season. Mustangs junior Ben Hicks and Mean Green junior Mason Fine are both on the Manning Award watch list to start the year.

Hicks (3,569 passing yards) returns after setting SMU records for passing touchdowns in a single season (33) and career (52). He’ll have plenty of help in the backfield with a stable of running backs that combined for 22 rushing scores last year. First-year coach Sonny Dykes does have to replace two receivers that were taken in the NFL Draft and several key pieces on defense. SMU has won three straight against its in-state rival by a combined 54 points.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Stadium. LINE: North Texas -4.5

ABOUT SMU (2017: 7-6): Junior James Proche (40 catches, 816 yards, six touchdowns) is the top returning receiver but West Virginia transfer Reggie Roberson Jr. (a sophomore) and Notre Dame graduate transfer CJ Sanders give the Mustangs some new targets. Junior Xavier Jones led the ground game with 1,075 yards and nine scores last year while senior Braeden West (568 yards, two scores) and junior Ke’Mon Freeman (543 yards, 11 scores) give the Mustangs plenty of options. The SMU secondary is packed with experience, including returning starter Jordan Wyatt (the senior cornerback had 49 tackles and four interceptions in 2017) and leading tackler Mikial Onu, a junior safety who had 105 stops.

ABOUT NORTH TEXAS (2017: 9-5): Fine set single-season program records in passing yards (4,052), passing touchdowns (31), completions (324) and attempts (511) last year. The Mean Green return their top three receivers, including junior Michael Lawrence (62 catches, 819 yards, four TDs). Sophomore Nic Smith (684 yards, six TDs) has been tabbed to start at running back after the graduation of Jeffery Wilson (1,215 yards, 16 TDs last year).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Mustangs’ juniors Delontae Scott (2.5 sacks) and Tyeson Neals (4.5 sacks) and California graduate transfer Noah Westerfield will try to replace the production of graduated DE Justin Lawler (9.5 sacks).

2. SMU was ranked eighth nationally last year with 88 plays of 20-plus yards.

3. Fine is also on the preseason lists for the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien, Maxwell and Sammy Baugh awards.

PREDICTION: SMU 37, North Texas 24

The post SMU vs. NORTH TEXAS 9/1/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

Those defections forced the Big East to scrap its planned home-and-away opponents, which was announced in December. A new list of opponents was released on Friday.

League members will play eight Big East games, facing every school except one. Big East teams that will not play each other in 2013: UCF and Cincinnati; UConn and Houston; Louisville and SMU; Memphis and Rutgers; and USF and Temple.

Six Big East schools were scheduled to play both Boise State and San Diego State and had both games replaced in the new schedule.

The biggest beneficiary of the new matchups appears to be Louisville, which is expected to be a preseason top-10 team next season. Instead of playing at Boise State and hosting San Diego State, Louisville will play at Temple and host Houston.

Every school’s conference opponents were altered by the new schedule with the exception of USF.

Instead of playing the Broncos and Aztecs, Temple plays Cincinnati and Louisville; SMU plays Rutgers and Cincinnati; Memphis plays UCF and UConn; Houston plays Cincinnati and Louisville; Louisville plays Temple and Houston; and Cincinnati plays SMU and Temple.

Game dates are expected to be announced in a few months, but the team’s home and away opponents are as follows:

UCF:
• Home: UConn, Houston, Rutgers, USF.
• Away: Louisville, Memphis, SMU, Temple.

Cincinnati
• Home: UConn, Louisville, SMU, Temple.
• Away: Houston, Memphis, Rutgers, USF.

UConn
• Home: Louisville, Memphis, Rutgers, USF.
• Away: UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Temple.

Houston
• Home: Cincinnati, Memphis, SMU, USF.
• Away: UCF, Louisville, Rutgers, Temple.

Louisville
• Home: UCF, Houston, Memphis, Rutgers.
• Away: Cincinnati, UConn, USF, Temple.

Memphis
• Home: UCF, Cincinnati, SMU, Temple.
• Away: UConn, Houston, Louisville, USF.

Rutgers
• Home: Cincinnati, Houston, USF, Temple.
• Away: UCF, UConn, Louisville, SMU.

SMU
• Home: UCF, UConn, Rutgers, Temple.
• Away: Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, USF.

USF
• Home: Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, SMU.
• Away: UCF, UConn, Houston, Rutgers.

Temple
• Home: UCF, UConn, Houston, Louisville.
• Away: Cincinnati, Memphis, Rutgers, SMU.

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