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It is time to continue our college football odds series with a SMU-Stanford prediction and pick. Find out how to watch SMU-Stanford.
SMU began the season as a 27.5-point favorite over Nevada in the so-called “Week Zero” weekend of August 24, the week before Week 1 on Aug. 31. SMU looked absolutely terrible and was lucky to beat Nevada outright in a game which ended 29-24. The Mustangs continued to struggle in the early portion of their season. When they lost 18-15 to BYU on a Friday night, it seemed that the Ponies were not going to get into a groove soon enough to save their season. That game against BYU felt like a bad loss, because no one was expecting BYU to be especially good this year.
How much things have changed. In a crazy college football season, SMU is one of the big surprises. The Mustangs were drifting along in the early stages of their season, but then head coach Rhett Lashlee made the big decision which has turned everything around. Lashlee replaced starting quarterback Preston Stone with Kevin Jennings. Instantly, the SMU offense came to life and the whole team's identity dramatically changed. SMU crushed Florida State by 26 points, scoring over 40 against the Seminoles. Florida State has a bad team this year, but not a bad defense. It's on offense where the Seminoles really struggle, but SMU was able to score in bunches against FSU's solid defense. That's the difference Kevin Jennings has made for his team. SMU won on the road at Louisville in a game most people did not expect SMU to win before the season began. The Mustangs were a touchdown underdog against the Cardinals but instead won by seven points. SMU is unbeaten in ACC play and is a real factor in the ACC title race midway through the season. This has been one of the more impressive in-season turnarounds you are going to see in college football this year.
Stanford is having a hard time adjusting to the ACC, sitting at 2-4 at the midpoint of the 2024 season. However, it's not just a matter of adjusting to a new conference and all the long-distance travel; Stanford has a young team. The Cardinal recruited really well, but the freshmen who are part of the highly-rated 2024 recruiting class do need time to learn how to play. You're seeing that learning curve right now. It's not a quick-fix situation at Stanford. The Cardinal and coach Troy Taylor hope that in the second half of the season, this team will evolve and grow.
Here are the SMU-Stanford College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: SMU-Stanford Odds
SMU: -15.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -690
Stanford: +15.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +480
Over: 54.5 (-108)
Under: 54.5 (-112)
How to Watch SMU vs Stanford
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Click Here for free trial)
Why SMU Could Cover The Spread/Win
Stanford is just not there yet. This is a young team which is obviously in the middle of a very long learning process. The talent on this team, the future of this team, is young talent, not experienced talent. That's a factor. SMU is coming off an idle week and has had two weeks to prepare here. SMU can and should win big.
Why Stanford Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Cardinal are going to get better in the second half of the season. The spread here is large. Stanford can lose by 14 and still cover.
Final SMU-Stanford Prediction & Pick
The reality of the situation says take SMU, but Stanford might soon play better as the season moves along. Pass on this one.
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Final SMU-Stanford Prediction & Pick: Stanford +15.5
