Henry Roldán
In one of the games that brings the curtain down on Saturday, SMU vs BYU will meet for the fourth time in program history when they play in the New Mexico Bowl.
The Mustangs closed the campaign with five wins in their last seven games, while the Cougars also finished strong with three straight wins.
Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the best preview of the New Mexico Bowl between SMU Mustangs vs BYU Cougars.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the SMU vs BYU New Mexico Bowl on December 17, 2022
- Where: University Stadium (Neutral), Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- When: Saturday, December 17, 2022, 7:30 PM E.T.
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on the SMU Mustangs
- Regular Season Record: 7-5
- Spread: -5.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: (-200)
- Over/Under: 64.5
There is no doubt that the Mustangs must rely on their high-powered offense to close out the campaign with a prestigious Bowl.
With 38.4 points scored per game, SMU finished 13th in the category in the nation. Their great offensive display came primarily through the air, where they achieved the sixth-best record of yards through the air with an average of 324.9 per game, while in total yards they averaged almost 500 per game, finishing with 479.8.
The problem is that just as SMU is an offensive machine, their defense doesn’t even get going with the best coach available. This year, the Mustangs made history by winning against Houston 77-63, becoming the highest scoring game in regular time in FBS history. After 12 games, opponents averaged 34.7 points against them and nearly 450 total yards per game.
Betting on the BYU Cougars
- Regular Season Record: 7-5
- Spread: +5.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: (+165)
- Over/Under: 64.5
BYU’s offense is not as powerful as that of its rivals, but it is also among the best in the nation in the current championship.
The Cougars averaged nearly 32 points scored per contest in the regular round, while throwing for nearly 270 yards through the air and overwhelming their opponents to the tune of 440.5 total yards per contest. However, for this game the key will be what they can do on the ground as they face one of the worst ground defenses in the league and through this route they could dominate the possession clock of the game.
If BYU wants to come out on top, it is imperative that the offensive plan works and their defense, a little better than SMU’s, can have room to try to dominate the Mustangs’ prolific offense. The Cougars are 7-0 when allowing less than 205 yards on the ground and 0-5 when allowing more than that figure. The good thing for them is that SMU only reached the 200-yard mark three times, and every time they did, it was against mediocre defenses.
JefeBet Prediction
The point line for this game is quite high and many Vegas oddsmakers are projecting an Under, but we are convinced that in the last game of the campaign, with mediocre and tired defenses on the gridiron, we will see loads of points scored.
SMU and BYU know that’s their main quality, and whoever gets tired of scoring faster is the one who will get the worst of it.
Prediction: Over.
