College football picks Week 12: Tulane vs. SMU prediction, odds, spread, and more for Thursday Night Football

The SMU Mustangs face the No. 21 Tulane Green Wave in a major AAC showdown on Thursday, Nov. 17 in New Orleans with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Last week's loss to UCF has knocked the Green Wave (8-2) off the top of the conference standings. Now sitting tied at the top with the Knights and Cincinnati, this becomes a must-win game for the Green Wave if they hope to remain ranked and have a shot at the conference championship. Quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns last week, but the Green Wave defense failed to step up.

SMU (6-4) has had a very interesting past few weeks, breaking the record in a win over Houston with the most combined points scored in an FBS game, coming oh-so-close to beating Cincinnati, and rising up the AAC ranks. Their most recent win was over South Florida.

Here's all the data you'll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

SMU: No. 48 overall, No. 10 offense, No. 107 defense
Tulane: No. 34 overall, No. 52 offense, No. 30 defense

Injury update

TE Ben Redding – Out (lower body)

No updates

ATS/Total

SMU: 5-5 ATS
Tulane: 8-2 ATS

SMU: Over 4-6
Tulane: Over 4-6

Overall Talent from 247Sports

SMU: No. 58 overall, No. 51 offense, No. 60 defense
Tulane: No. 74 overall, No. 74 offense, No. 71 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Tulane -3.5
Total: 65
Moneyline: Tulane -155, SMU +135

Opening line: Tulane -2.5
Opening total: 65.5

Weather

50 degrees, 0% chance of rain, 5 MPH winds

The Pick

Tulane's defensive strength lies in stopping the passing game, but SMU doesn't necessarily need the passing game. Their running backs combined for 224 yards and three touchdowns last week against USF, and Tulane is shaken from their recent loss and the short turnaround. I think the Mustangs will be able to cover in spite of their low-ranked defense.

  
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