It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Cal SMU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Cal SMU.

The SMU Mustangs are in an interesting position relative to the NCAA Tournament. SMU is one of those teams which wins all the games it is supposed to win, but doesn't win any of the games it plays against equal or better opposition. SMU's team sheet for NCAA Tournament consideration has a lot of lower-end wins and no bad losses, but SMU has not gained a Quad 1 win yet this season. It has not beaten any of the teams in the top tier of the ACC. With North Carolina and Wake Forest both losing on Tuesday night, the ACC's middle has become even bigger and more muddled. There is a clear-cut top three in the ACC, with Duke, Louisville, and Clemson all very safe and secure in the pursuit of NCAA Tournament bids. Those three teams have nothing to worry about entering the month of February. Everyone else is not safe. Pittsburgh might have the best chance of any ACC school not among the top three; the Panthers are the likely fourth ACC team in the NCAA tourney. Then comes SMU as a possible fifth option.

The Mustangs want to have a better path to an NCAA bid than North Carolina or Wake Forest, but the complicating factor is that SMU also wants every ACC game to look better, not worse, on its profile. Given that SMU lost decisively to North Carolina, seeing the Tar Heels lose to Pitt on Tuesday makes that loss look more damaging, not more impressive. SMU really needs to get a high-end win on the resume if it wants to impress the selection committee. Meanwhile, in games against lower-tier ACC opponents such as Cal, the Ponies have to keep winning. One slip-up against a not-very-good opponent will put them in very big trouble on Selection Sunday.

The Cal Golden Bears are dealing with multiple injuries. They had two of their starters out for last Saturday's home game versus a woefully bad Miami side. Cal almost lost but was able to regroup in overtime and beat Miami by four points. Cal has had a rough ride this season. The injuries have played a part in shaping these results, but the team has not been able to find and maintain high-level consistency for any significant duration of time.

Here are the Cal-SMU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Cal-SMU Odds

Cal: +11.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +500

SMU: -11.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -720

Over: 152.5 (-110)

Under: 152.5 (-110)

How to Watch Cal vs SMU

Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT

TV: ACC Network

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Why Cal Will Cover The Spread/Win

The spread is very large, and SMU has not established itself as an NCAA Tournament-caliber team. Fattening up on lower-end teams is the bare-minimum expectation for any tourney team. SMU has not been able to do anything more than that. Cal just swept Florida State and Miami at home. The Golden Bears can offer more resistance to SMU than some of the other teams the Mustangs have defeated.

Why SMU Will Cover The Spread/Win

SMU might have a problem beating the top tier of the ACC, but it certainly does not have a problem beating the lower half of the conference. That is not where SMU has fallen short this season. This is a good matchup for the Mustangs at home. They should win decisively.

Final Cal-SMU Prediction & Pick

Our lean is to SMU, but with a spread this big, maybe wait for a live in-game play.

Final Cal-SMU Prediction & Pick: SMU -11.5