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The Charlotte 49ers take on the SMU Mustangs. Check out our college football odds series for our Charlotte SMU prediction and pick. Find how to watch Charlotte SMU.
The Charlotte 49ers are 1-3 this season, but in one of their losses, they put up a particularly good fight against a Big Ten opponent on national television. On NBC, Charlotte held Maryland without a touchdown in the first half of a Saturday primetime game before the Terrapins' offense finally got going in the second half. Charlotte's defense showed a certain degree of resilience and toughness in that game, and it's something the 49ers' coaching staff can continuously reference when emphasizing that this defense can compete with higher-profile opponents throughout the 2023 season.
SMU is one of those higher-profile opponents, but the Mustangs have faced a tough schedule and have absorbed some defeats this season. The Ponies have fallen short against Oklahoma and TCU. Their defense actually played really well versus Oklahoma, limiting the Sooners under 30 points, but the Mustangs' offense didn't do well in that game. TCU's defense didn't have a particularly good day against TCU, the Mustangs' other loss of the young season.
SMU faces a frustrating reality: Both sides of the ball have shown real potential in the first month of the season, but head coach Rhett Lashlee has struggled to get those sides of the ball to perform well at the same time. This is called complementary football, and SMU needs to find a way to play more of it as the season unfolds. This game against Charlotte gives the Mustangs a chance to brush up on their habits and tendencies. We will see if the Ponies can pass the test.
Here are the Charlotte-SMU College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Charlotte-SMU Odds
Charlotte 49ers: +22.5 (-110)
SMU Mustangs: -22.5 (-110)
Over: 59.5 (-106)
Under: 59.5 (-114)
How To Watch Charlotte vs SMU
TV: ESPNU
Stream: ESPN Plus
Article Continues Below
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
*Watch Charlotte vs SMU LIVE on fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why Charlotte Could Cover the Spread
The 49ers have had their moments this season — not a lot of them, but enough to get people to say that this team has some potential. Charlotte really did frustrate Maryland a few weeks ago on the road. The 49ers didn't win, but they earned a lot of respect. SMU, meanwhile, has been very inconsistent this season in a lot of different ways. There is a sense that SMU has the potential to be a good team, but there is a competing awareness that the Mustangs aren't ready to exhibit the consistency which will enable them to fulfill their potential in 2023. Given how large the point spread is, the Charlotte defense can definitely keep the game close and enable the 49ers to cover the spread.
Why SMU Could Cover the Spread
The Mustangs aren't relentlessly consistent, but they did bury Louisiana Tech earlier in the season. SMU doesn't put its best foot forward all the time, but it has played well on some occasions. Is Charlotte a team which is going to stand in the ring for four full quarters and keep this game close? Many will point to that Maryland game, but Charlotte is a 1-3 team for a reason. The 49ers have some spunk, but they are an objectively worse team than SMU by a large margin. Moreover, SMU — by playing tough games against Oklahoma and TCU — should find Charlotte's personnel much easier to deal with by comparison. That should matter.
Final Charlotte-SMU Prediction & Pick
This is a game to stay away from. SMU will win, but the margin of victory is hard to pin down.
Final Charlotte-SMU Prediction & Pick: SMU -22.5
