Southern Methodist vs Texas Christian Odds: TCU On Two-Game Winning Streak

The SMU Mustangs will take on the TCU Horned Frogs in Week 4 of the college football season.

The Mustangs began the season with a win over Louisiana Tech but lost to Oklahoma on the road, 28-11.

After that loss, SMU added a 69-0 win over Prairie View and will hope to drag that momentum on the road against TCU.

TCU is also 2-1, with the lone loss against the Colorado Buffaloes. The Horned Frogs bounced back quickly with wins over Nicholls and Houston. Last week’s win against the Houston Cougars showed that TCU is still an excellent program.

Can the Horned Frogs add to their two-game win streak on Saturday?

Look at the Southern Methodist vs Texas Christian odds for Saturday’s non-conference tilt on the FS1.

SMU Headed To The ACC Next Year

The conference realignment in college sports has been absolute chaos.

SMU wanted to escape the American Conference and join a Power-Five one instead. After much negotiating, SMU finally got its wish on September 1.

SMY accepted an invitation to join the ACC alongside Pac-12 foes Stanford and California. This arrangement said that SMU would forgo nine years of ACC television money and around $24 million annually.

That didn’t scare SMU away. Instead, SMU boosters told The Athletic they would give over $200 million to offset the TV money. That’s how bad supporters wanted SMU to join the ACC.

SMU’s men’s basketball season ticket sales have risen 30%, and hundreds of new football season tickets have been sold, too.

The Mustangs are one of the smallest schools in the Power 5, with an enrollment of just over 12,000 students. There are fewer than 8,000 undergraduates.

However, after one week of joining the ACC, SMU has already raised $100 million for the ACC transition.

For a while, it was uncertain if the ACC would allow SMU and other schools to join in. However, SMU ensured that donors would donate and that the boosters would help them for the first decade of the transition. For the boosters, it was a no-brainer.

This move will help recruiting moving forward.

There’s No More Pressure on TCU!

The TCU Horned Frogs made the National Championship last year.

But after losing a lot of talent from a year ago, there was still some pressure on TCU to perform at a high level. Like any program that makes the CFP, expectations rise, and recruiting starts to bring in more elite prospects.

However, TCU struggled to defeat Colorado, which has significant favorites at home. Some thought that TCU’s dynasty wouldn’t last more than a year. Some also thought the Horned Frogs wouldn’t make the Top-25 NCAA football rankings after that loss.

But since that game, the Horned Frogs added two wins with combined NCAAF scores of 77-19. Their last game came against a Big 12 opponent in Houston.

This was Houston’s first game as a Big 12 member. But it still counts as a conference win.

Here’s what I’m getting at.

If TCU had defeated Colorado and won their next two games, like they have, the pressure would be a lot for this program. It’s a lot of new talent trying to figure it out. No loss is ever good. However, TCU isn’t even ranked, coming off a College Football Playoff appearance.

The Horned Frogs have averaged more than 500 yards of offense and have held teams to only 60.7 yards rushing per game. They’ve struggled with tackling. That won’t work in the Big 12.

Still, they’ve dominated against the run and have a reliable pass rush that has helped the secondary in coverage.

Meanwhile, TCU still has a reliable quarterback in Chandler Morris. He was supposed to be the Horned Frogs’ guy last season until he got injured. Max Duggan took over, and the rest was history. Duggan took the Horned Frogs to a College Football Playoff for the first time. He even won a game in the semifinals.

But Morris beat him out for the starting job. Therefore, the TCU staff members have a lot of faith in Morris. He’s done well so far.

Let’s look at the Southern Methodist vs Texas Christian odds for Saturday’s game.

Southern Methodist vs Texas Christian Odds

The TCU Horned Frogs are sitting at -6.5 for their home game against the SMU Mustangs. Meanwhile, the total is 63.5, with oddsmakers expecting a high-scoring affair with these NCAAF odds.

SMU has covered in two of three games. The Mustangs were -21 against Louisiana Tech and -42 against Prairie View and won both games by a significant amount. However, as underdogs, SMU didn’t cover a 16.5-point spread against Oklahoma. That game finished 28-11 and was a 17-point deficit.

The Mustangs have had totals as low as 64 and as high as 68.5. Two of those three games went Under the total.

On the other hand, TCU got its first cover against Houston on the road as seven-point favorites. The Horned Frogs didn’t cover against Colorado as 21-point favorites and struggled to cover -42 against Nicholls after only scoring 41 points in the win.

We’ll give TCU a break when it comes to that Colorado game. Nobody knew what to expect from the Buffaloes, including oddsmakers.

Since that game, TCU has looked really good. Again, the run defense has been excellent, and the pass rush has done well.

Offensively, TCU has a reliable offensive line. They’ve helped Emani Bailey add 357 yards on 56 carries. He also scored a touchdown and has averaged over six yards per carry.

On the other hand, SMU has relied on Preston Stone at quarterback. Stone has thrown for nearly 800 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. The passing game has earned over 295 yards, while the running game has lagged with 167.7 yards.

Still, the offense has done well and should still have success in the air against TCU.

Defensively, the Mustangs have allowed just 263.3 yards per game. These averages include a game against Oklahoma, where they only allowed 28 points in the loss. The pass rush is sensational, and the run defense is effective, too.

TCU has the better offense, but SMU has the better defense.

Take The Home Field Advantage!

TCU will have the home-field advantage in this game. That means the defense should get some help from the crowd against SMU.

The Horned Frogs don’t look as good on paper because of their first game against Colorado. They weren’t prepared for some of the looks they got and didn’t expect the game to be as close as it got.

But after that wake-up call, TCU looks fantastic, averaging over 300 yards passing and more than 213 yards per game on the ground.

Morris needs to make good decisions against this SMU defense. The pass rush will get to him, so he must be mobile and escape pressure. Morris plays behind an offensive line that has done well against other pass rushes. Therefore, I don’t think it’ll be as big of a problem in this game.

The key for TCU is to convert on tackles and limit turnovers. The offensive line needs to keep SMU’s defense out of the backfield. If they do that, TCU will leave Amon G. Carter Stadium happy. Take TCU at -6.5.

For more NCAAF news, betting odds, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

Want more articles like this? Check these out:

• Michael Penix Jr. Stats: Washington QB Rocketing Up Heisman Leaderboard
• Harrison Mevis Stats: Missouri Kicker Talk of the Town
• Florida State vs Clemson Odds: Seminoles Slight Road Favorites
• Wisconsin vs Purdue Betting Odds: Spread Shrinking for Big Ten Opener
• South Carolina vs Georgia Preview: No. 1 Bulldogs Breezing Along