Houston Christian vs SMU Prediction College Football Picks 8/31/24

In this article, we will formulate a Houston Christian vs SMU prediction for this College Football game on Saturday, August 31st at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this matchup. 

Houston Christian Huskies Betting Preview

The Houston Christian Huskies went 6-5 (4-3) last season and they finished fourth in the Southland standings. Houston Christian played one game against an FBS opponent last season, which was a 52-22 loss at Western Kentucky. Houston Christian started the 2023 season with a 2-4 record, but they were able to win four of their last five games to finish the season above .500. Houston Christian did drop their last game of the season against Incarnate Word by a score of 45-24. 

Houston Christian will have a new head coach for this game and he has an uphill battle getting the team ready for this matchup. The Huskies do bring back a lot of production from the running back spot, but quarterback and wide receiver is a big question mark. Defensively, Houston Christian lost quite a few starters from a bad defense last year, so this year could be even worse.

SMU Mustangs Betting Preview

The SMU Mustangs went 11-3 (9-0) last year and finished first in the American. SMU was only 2-2 through their first four games after losing to Oklahoma and TCU, but they won their last eight regular season games and scored at least 31 points in all eight wins. The Mustangs defeated Tulane by a score of 26-14 in the AAC Title game but did lose 23-14 against Boston College in the Fenway Bowl. 

SMU opened the season in week 0 with a win over Nevada, but they did not look great in the game. SMU trailed 24-13 in the fourth quarter, but they were able to score the last 16 points in the game to win 29-24. SMU outgained Nevada by a total of 408-298, but they turned the ball over once and went 5-12 on third downs. Preston Stone had a lot of hype coming into this season and he threw for 254 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. 

Why SMU will beat Houston Christian

• SMU has won each of its last eight home games.
• SMU has covered the spread in five of its last six home games.

Total Points Facts

• Six of SMU’s last seven games against non-conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• SMU ranked 3rd among FBS teams for H1 points per game last season (23.4).
• SMU ranked 8th among FBS teams for points per game last season (38.7).

Houston Christian vs SMU Prediction 

SMU kicked off their season in week 0 against Nevada, but they struggled through most of that game and they need to have a much better showing here. Despite the poor performance, I think SMU is much better than they showed in their first game. The Mustangs should have no issues running up the score here, as Houston Christian will have no answer defensively. The Huskies’ offense is also a concern after losing their quarterback from last year and replacing their coach. I have not seen a spread for this game yet, but I think SMU is going to win in a blowout.