The No. 21 SMU Mustangs can continue their recent dominance over the Tulane Green Wave when the teams meet in an American Athletic Conference game on Thursday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The Mustangs (6-0, 2-0 in AAC) have won six straight meetings between the teams, nine of the last 10 overall and the last five games in Dallas. The Mustangs' average margin of victory in their last five home wins in the series has been 14.8 points per game. The Green Wave (1-5, 0-2) have not beaten SMU since October 2012.
Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET. The Mustangs are 13.5-point favorites in the latest SMU vs. Tulane odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 70. Before locking in any Tulane vs. SMU picks, you need to see the college football predictions from SportsLine's advanced computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 8 of the 2021 season on a 22-9 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on SMU vs. Tulane and just revealed its CFB picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see the model's picks. Here are several CFB odds and betting lines for Tulane vs. SMU:
- SMU vs. Tulane spread: SMU -13.5
- SMU vs. Tulane over-under: 70 points
- SMU vs. Tulane money line: Mustangs -550, Green Wave +400
- SMU: Tanner Mordecai has 26 TD passes this season, which is tied for the most in the FBS
- TUL: The defense averages 7.0 tackles for loss per game, which ranks second in the AAC
Why SMU can cover
SMU faces a Tulane defense that has struggled mightily this season. The Green Wave allow 40.2 points per game, which ranks 127th in the country; only three teams give up more. That bodes well for a Mustangs offense that averages 40.7 points per game, which ranks second in the AAC and is 10th in the nation.
In addition, SMU has been formidable at home against unranked teams. The Mustangs have won their last 11 games at Ford Stadium against teams not ranked in the Top 25, a streak that dates to September 2019. SMU's average margin of victory during that streak has been 23.5 points per game.
Why Tulane can cover
Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt is a running-and-passing threat. A 6-foot-2 freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., Pratt has completed 114-of-190 passes for 1,364 yards and 13 touchdowns against five interceptions this season. He also leads the team with four rushing touchdowns. In two seasons in New Orleans he has 33 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing scores.
In addition, Pratt and the Green Wave face a SMU defense that has struggled defending the pass this season. The Mustangs have allowed 251.8 passing yards per game, which ranks 101st in the country. Earlier this season they gave up 351 yards and four touchdown passes to Louisiana Tech.
How to make Tulane vs. SMU picks
SportsLine's model says the game goes over on the point total, and it also has an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only get the model's SMU vs. Tulane picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Tulane vs. SMU? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the SMU vs. Tulane spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is on a 22-9 run on top-rated picks, and find out.
