Last year, head coach Baylor Dave Aranda barely escaped the firing squad, and his tenure remains perilous. By contrast, Rhett Lashlee and the SMU Mustangs made history with a berth in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Last week, Baylor was outclassed in a season-opening College Football odds home loss to the Auburn Tigers. Meanwhile, SMU routed FCS East Texas A&M Lions. Once upon a time, the Baylor Bears and SMU Mustangs were rivals in the old Southwest Conference. But in the past three decades, perpetual conference realignment has completely redrawn the landscape of college football.
Baylor Bears at SMU Mustangs NCAAF Betting Information
| Date and Time: | Saturday, September 6, 2025, noon ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Gerald J Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX |
| TV Coverage: | The CW |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor | +3 ( -117 ) | 65 ( -110 ) | +122 |  |
| SMU | -3 ( -103 ) | 65 ( -110 ) | -142 | |
| ||||
Baylor Bears Team Overview
Last game, the Baylor Bears lost 38-24 as 1-point home dogs to the Auburn Tigers. The game went over the online wagering total of 57.
The Baylor Bears and Auburn Tigers met in McLane Stadium for a Friday night showdown that did not disappoint. Both teams came into this game expecting to win, and after a slow start, they traded blows throughout the night. Finally, it was the Tigers who made enough plays on both sides of the ball to take home the win.
The first half was a bit concerning for Baylor’s high-powered offense. They could only put 10 points on the board, and outside of a couple of drives, things just looked difficult for Sawyer Robertson and Co.
Luckily for Bears fans, they were able to turn things around in the second half. They looked like the Baylor offense we saw at the end of last year. Baylor scored on two (should’ve been three) of their four second-half drives. While the result of tonight’s game may not have been what they hoped for, their offense is going to be just fine and should be one of the best in the Big 12.
Last year, Baylor’s defense was weak in pretty much every area, but particularly so against the run. They gave up 156 rushing yards per game to their opponents in 2024, and despite some new additions to their front seven, they were horrible against the run tonight. In sum, Auburn ran the ball 52 times for 307 yards (137 by Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold) and four touchdowns against the Bears. They averaged 5.9 yards per carry and just completely tormented the Bears on the ground.
SMU Mustangs Team Overview
Last game, the SMU Mustangs routed East Texas A&M 42-13 as 51-point home favorites. The game went under the total of 65.
Namely, Kevin Jennings threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another. Hence, he led the host SMU Mustangs to a season-opening victory over East Texas A&M on Saturday night in Dallas. Jennings completed 22 of 30 passes for 260 yards and one interception. In addition to his two scoring tosses to lead SMU, ranked No. 16 in the AP Top 25, to its seventh consecutive season-opening win.
Additionally, Alexander Kilgore came up with a wild interception for SMU, which he returned 10 yards for a touchdown with 5:32 left in the first quarter. Cameron Robertson appeared to intercept the pass from Will Madonna, but had the ball popped loose as he began to secure it. In turn, the ball bounced off Kilgore’s foot and up, allowing him to corral it and take off to the end zone.
Baylor at SMU SBG Free Picks
On this occasion, Baylor is coming off a painful College Football odds loss. SMU is in better form with the deeper team.
Baylor at SMU SBG Best Bet: SMU Mustangs.