It is an AAC Conference battle as SMU visits East Carolina. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with an SMU-East Carolina prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

SMU enters the game with a 3-2 record, and 1-0 in conference play. SMU has played some tough opponents this year but came out on top in the games they were expected to win. They opened the season with a win over Louisiana Tech 38-14, but then they faced Oklahoma. They kept it close most of the game, being down just 14-11 in the fourth, but they would fall 28-11. After a win over Prairie View, they would fall by 17 to TCU. Then they opened conference play. It was against Charlotte, and it was a 34-16 victory for SMU.

Meanwhile, East Carolina is just 1-4 on the season. It started with an opening loss to Michigan but was followed by losses to Marshall and Appalachian State. Finally, East Carolina got their first win of the season against Gardner-Webb. They won that game 44-0. Then, they opened conference play against Rice. East Carolina would be down just one at halftime, but Rice would score in the third quarter. East Carolina answered with a touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game, but with 6:24 left in the game, Rice would score and win 24-17.

Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: SMU-East Carolina Odds

SMU: -12.5 (-110)

East Carolina: +12.5 (-110)

Over: 49.5 (-115)

Under: 49.5 (-105)

How to Watch SMU vs. East Carolina Week 7

Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why SMU Will Cover The Spread

Preston Stone has been the leader of this offense so far this year. He has gone 93-160 passing this year for 1,186 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has made ten big-time throws according to PFF, but he has had some turnover issues. Stone has thrown five interceptions this year, with another four turnover-worthy passes. Still, three of the interceptions and six of the seven turnover-worthy passes have come against TCU and Oklahoma. Stone also has one touchdown on the ground this year. Still, Stone was great last time out and has shown he is solid against AAC competition.

The Mustangs have not been as good in the rushing game this year, but last time out, they were great. Jayalan Knighton ran for 150 yards on just 11 carries. He scored twice in the game as well. Velton Gardner also ran for 68 yards in the game against Charlotte. Overall, Knighton has run for 334 yards this year, with both touchdowns last time out. Overall, SMU has run for seven rushing touchdowns and almost 1,000 yards in the year.

The Receveing game has not had a standout this year. Overall, SMU has six receivers over 140 yards on the season, but no receiver is over 200 yards this year. They also have four guys with two touchdowns this year, but no receiver has more than two on the season.

Still, SMU has some studs on defense. One of them is Elijah Roberts who has been great on the pass rush this season. He has 20 quarterback pressures this year with four sacks. He has also hit the quarterback three times this year. Meanwhile, Nelson Paul has three sacks this season with 12 pressures on the season. Kobe Wilson leads the way in the run game. He has 13 stops for offensive failures this year, with 24 overall tackles in the run game. He also has not missed a tackle this year in the run game. Still, SMU has just one interception in the passing game this year, with just 11 pass breakups while allowing nine touchdowns.

Why East Carolina Will Cover The Spread

Alex Flinn is the leader at quarterback for East Carolin and it has not been a great year for him. He has completed just 56 of 117 passes this year for 608 yards. Flinn does have nine big-time throws according to PFF and a touchdown but has struggled with all security. He has five interceptions this year with seven turnover wortht throws. Flinn is doing a good job with pressure overall. He has been pressured 60 times this year but sacked just seven times this season. Flinn has also run for 120 yards this year, but he does not have a touchdown.

East Carolina also needs help from the running game. Rahjai Harris is the team leader in rushing yards this year with 216 yards and four touchdowns. He has been solid in making tacklers miss. He has caused 24 missed tackles this season already. Still, he is not getting the best blocking, with an average point of first contact within a yard of the line of scrimmage. Still, Harris has 2.91 yards after contact this year.

In the receiving game, the top target is Jaylen Johnson. He has brought in 23 of 29 targets this year for 207 yards. He has just nine yards per reception this year and has not scored. Overall, the receiving core has just brought in two touchdowns this year, one of them from running back Rahjai Harris.

On defense, the pass rush has struggled. They have just four sacks this year with 50 pressures. No player on the roster has more than one sack this season. In pass coverage, East Carolina has just two interceptions this year, with 14 pass breakups. Meanwhile, they have allowed over 1,000 yards passing and nine touchdowns. In run defense, they are better. While ECU has 25 missed tackles in the run game, they do have two solid players. Mike Edwards leads the way with 13 stops in the run game for offensive failures, while Julius Woods has 11.

Final SMU-East Carolina Prediction & Pick

SMU has been solid against the run this year but struggled against the pass overall. Still, East Carolina does not have the players to make SMU pay for that. Overall, the SMU defense is solid against a team that struggled to score. Furthermore, East Carolina struggles to score, while SMU does not. The Mustangs will slow down the game with their running attack which is the biggest worry for them covering. Still, they can force turnovers and East Carolina will give them. Take SMU in this one.

Final SMU-East Carolina Prediction & Pick: SMU -12.5 (-110)