Bears Look to Cover Huge Betting Spread

The Baylor Bears will be gunning for their sixth straight SU and ATS victory over Southern Methodist when they visit the Mustangs on Friday as heavy double-digit favorites.

The Bears, at No. 4 on the AP Top 25, finished atop the Big 12 last season with an 8-1 SU conference record but were a bitter betting disappointment down the stretch, going 3-5 ATS in their last eight games.

The Mustangs avoided a winless season in 2014 with a 27-20 win over Connecticut in their finale to finish 1-11 overall. The squad fared better ATS, going 5-4 in their final nine games, but still posted six ATS losses when pegged as 21+ point underdogs.

The Bears have owned SMU in recent meetings, going 5-0 SU and ATS in their past five, including a 45-0 rout of the Mustangs in last year's season opener, easily covering as 32-point favorites. Conversely, SMU averaged just over 12 points per game in those five meetings.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

The visiting Baylor Bears opened as -20-point favorites in this one at Sportsbook and most sportsbooks tracked here at Odds Shark. No total had been posted as of writing time check the live lines pages in the coming days to see where the number opened.

Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 51-22 result in favor of the Bears. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NCAAF matchups here.

Baylor Bears vs Southern Methodist Mustangs Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

The Baylor Bears will try to spoil to the party on Friday; they are 8-5 ATS against the spread this season, while the Southern Methodist Mustangs are 4-8 ATS. Baylor is 8-5 on the over under betting totals; Southern Methodist is 8-4. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Southern Methodist vs Baylor injuries news.

The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Southern Methodist Mustangs at No. 128 and the Baylor Bears at No. 8 heading into this contest.

Statistical Matchup

Offensively, the game matches up the Southern Methodist Mustangs No. 128-ranked offense (11.08 PPG) against a Baylor Bears defense that ranks No. 49 at 25.54 PPG. The Southern Methodist Mustangs passing attack has averaged 168.67 yards per game, less than the Baylor Bears give up through the air (264.15 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Baylor Bears feature the league's No. 80-rated road run defense, allowing 189.25 yards per game. Southern Methodist, meanwhile, ranks No. 114 in rushing offense at home.

Recent Outings Betting Recap

Bryce Petty handled the Spartans defense in his team's most recent action, throwing for 550 yards, but Baylor still lost to Michigan State 42-41.

Matt Davis went over the 100-yard mark (191) in his team's latest effort as Southern Methodist defeated Connecticut by a score of 27-20 on Saturday.

Betting Trends
  • Baylor is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Baylor's last 6 games
  • Baylor is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
  • Baylor is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
  • Southern Methodist is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
  • Southern Methodist is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 8 of Southern Methodist's last 11 games
  • Southern Methodist is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home

Next Betting Matchups

Baylor home to Lamar, Saturday, September 12th
Southern Methodist home to North Texas, Saturday, September 12th

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