CFB
1 Pick.
7:00PM EST: SMU -12 (2 Units). SMU’s defense made a huge leap in year 2 under DC Scott Symons and he's back for a 3rd. They ranked 14th in points allowed per game and let up just 15 PPG at Home last season. He gets 60% of his defensive production back from last year but he's filling the ranks with his recruits and developed players moving forward. They're in for a bump in competition but they more than held their own against top squads last year. They held Oklahoma to 28 in Oklahoma and "held" TCU to 34 in TCU. A couple of costly turnovers and short fields drove TCU's score up. BYU isn't close to either of those teams and they were the 100th ranked scoring offense last year. They've downgraded at QB as Kedon Slovis left for the NFL. The Cougars also went 1-5 on the road last season, losing by an average of 21.8 Points in their 5 losses.
The BYU defense ranked 102nd in points allowed per game last season. They let up an average of 37.5 on the road as well. SMU's offense ranked 10th in PPG last year and averaged 49 PPG at Home (Tied 2nd). They've returned all key pieces from coaching on down, including 9 offensive starters and they upgraded at the RB position via the portal. This is a program on the rise under HC Rhett Lashlee who enters his 3rd year at the helm. With this game being played at prime time on a Friday night you can expect that stadium to be rocking too.
