The SMU Mustangs face the Temple Owls in an AAC matchup in Week 8. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, October 20 from Philadelphia.
SMU (4-2, 2-0 AAC) grabbed a 31-10 win over East Carolina in Week 7. Their only two losses this year have been against TCU and Oklahoma in a tough non-conference slate. They relied heavily on their passing game in the win, with quarterback Preston Stone throwing three touchdowns as their run game struggled to get going. Two weeks ago, running back Jaylan Knighton rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Charlotte.
Temple (2-5, 0-3 AAC) has lost their last four games, and none of them have been particularly close. The Owls are struggling on defense — they let up 40 or more points in each of the four most recent losses. They’re getting beat in the air — in two of the four losses, the opposing quarterbacks reached the 300 passing yard mark.
Here’s everything you need to know and a pick for the game.
SP+ Rankings
SMU: 60 overall, 47 offense, 65 defense
Temple: 121 overall, 117 offense, 117 defense
Injury update
SMU
RB Camar Wheaton – Questionable (hamstring)
Temple
LB DJ Woodbury – Out for season (undisclosed)
QB EJ Warner – Questionable (undisclosed)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023
SMU: 3-3 ATS
Temple: 1-6 ATS
Total in 2023
SMU: Over 1-5
Temple: Over 3-4
Team Pace
SMU: 2.43 plays per minute of offense
Temple: 2.43 plays per minute of offense
Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: SMU -23.5
Total: 54
Moneyline: SMU -2100, Temple +1100
Weather
63 degrees, showers, 6 MPH wind, 37% chance of rain
Our Best Bet for SMU vs. Temple
SMU -23.5
This is a really hard matchup for Temple. SMU thrives in the passing game, which the Owls struggle to defend. This will be the next on a slate of unfortunate blowouts for this Temple team, which has yet to win a game in conference play.