Tulane vs SMU College Football Predictions, Picks and Odds November 17

Tulane vs SMU Betting Preview

Tulane dropped a much needed game against UCF last week now sitting at 8-2 welcoming in the 6-4 Mustangs who have won three straight. WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan shares this thoughts on Thursday’s AAC showdown between Tulane and SMU.

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Thursday, November 17	AAC Football Betting Notes
Point Spread:	Tulane Green Wave -3 vs SMU Mustangs
Total:	o/u 65 Points
Location:	Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, LA
Game Time:	7:30pm ET / 4:00pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings)
TV:	ESPN

Tulane vs SMU Analysis

Tulane suffered its first conference loss on Saturday as the Green Wave fell to UCF, but Willie Fritz’s team does not have much time to sulk with a quick turnaround for this Thursday night contest.

SMU has won seven straight in this series and ten out of the last 11 meetings with Tulane. Since losing three-straight games back in early October, the Mustangs have won four of their last five, with that sole loss coming against a good Cincinnati team in a razor-close finish.

Ground Defense A Concern For SMU

During this current hot run, SMU’s offense has been one of the best in the country. The Mustangs have scored a colossal 54.3 points per game over their last three contests and they enter Week 12 as the No. 7 team in the nation in scoring offense.

SMU’s problems lie on the defensive end, where the Mustangs rank 119th in the country in rushing yards allowed, giving up 209.9 yards per game on average. That is music to the ears of Coach Fritz and the Green Wave rushing attack.

Over the last four weeks, Tulane has rushed for 233 yards per game, with Ty Spears doing the majority of the work. The junior running back is averaging 8.8 yards per carry over his last four games.

Green Wave Look To Get Back To Basics

Despite getting run over for a total of 468 yards last week against the UCF Knights (including a mammoth 336 yards on the ground), that’s been the exception rather than the rule for this Tulane team on the season so far.

Even with that poor showing against UCF, Tulane’s defense is holding opponents to 61 yards below their season average, which is top-30 in the country. Tulane’s defense ranks top-30 in the country for several defensive categories, and top-20 in total passing defense.

Tulane vs SMU Prediction

This is a classic offense versus defense matchup here on Thursday and while traditionally defense is usually the way to go in these types of matchups, we don’t believe that will be the case in this one.

SMU has built up a head of steam to close out the season and while Tulane’s defensive numbers on the season as a whole are impressive, there’s no denying the uptick of 34.3 yards per game on average given up to opponents over their last three starts as their defensive unit may be starting to wear out down the back stretch of the season.

We’ll take the SMU Mustangs plus the field goal here on Thursday to carry forward their momentum and cover on the road against the Tulane Green Wave.

Prediction: SMU Mustangs +3

Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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