SMU vs Tulane AAC Championship game prediction, odds and picks

The SMU Mustangs are set to play the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in the AAC Championship game.

SMU (10-2) is ranked 25th and coming off a 59-14 win over Navy. Tulane (11-1) is coming off a 29-17 win over UTSA and is ranked 17th.

SMU vs Tulane: Game Details

Fixture: SMU Mustangs (10-2) vs Tulane Green Wave (11-1)

Date & Time: Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. ET

Venue: Yulman Stadium

SMU vs Tulane: Betting Odds

Spread

SMU +3.5 (-110)

Tulane -3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

SMU +142

Tulane -170

Over/under

Over 47 (-108)

Under 47 (-108)

SMU vs Tulane: Picks

The SMU Mustangs have a solid offense but it has taken a hit as Preston Stone is out for the rest of the year due to a broken leg he suffered last week.

With that, SMU will likely try and rely on their ground game which is why LJ Johnson Jr. over rushing yards is the way to go here. Johnson Jr. is averaging 98 rushing yards over his last three games and will be relied upon a ton here.

Tulane, meanwhile, also has a great running back in Makhi Hughes and the Green Wave will rely heavily on the ground game in the AAC championship game. So, take his over-rushing yards in this one.

Hughes has rushed for 100 or more yards in seven of his last eight games and during that stretch is averaging 125.13 rushing yards per game during that span.

SMU vs Tulane: Head-to-head

SMU leads the all-time series 15-14 over Tulane. In the last meeting, the Green Wave smoked the Mustangs 59-24.

SMU vs Tulane: Prediction

SMU and Tulane have had solid seasons and this should be a back-and-forth and competitive game.

However, with the Mustangs starting quarterback Preston Stone out, SMU's offense will really get hurt. Tulane has a solid defense and will keep the Mustangs offense in check to get the win and become back-to-back AAC champs.

Prediction: Tulane wins by a touchdown.

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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