Week 2 of the college football season kicks off with a Friday night matchup between TCU and SMU at 8 p.m. ET from Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. TCU, which entered last week's contest against Southern ranked No. 16, showed it was worthy of the high seeding by crushing the Jaguars 55-7. While the Frogs were leaping all over Southern, SMU was creamed by North Texas 46-23.
TCU is favored by 22.5 on the road, up from an open of 19. The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 59, down two from the opener. Before you make any TCU vs. SMU picks, check out what the SportsLine projection model has to say.
The model simulates every college football game 10,000 times and produced double-digit profitable weeks last season. It closed the bowl season on a perfect 7-0 run and was a finished last week a scorching 6-1. The model now has returned nearly $4,200 for $100 bettors over the past three seasons.
Now, the model has simulated TCU vs. SMU 10,000 times to produce strong against-the-spread and Over-Under picks. We can tell you the Over hits in 56 percent of simulations, but the model also has generated a point-spread selection that hits over well 60 percent of the time. This pick is available only at SportsLine.
The model knows the Horned Frogs beat up on FCS competition last week. TCU's sophomore quarterback Shawn Robinson breezed through the first half against Southern, completing 17-for-24 pass attempts for 182 yards and three scores. He also ran in two touchdowns from nine and 36 yards out. TCU led 38-7 at the half, having scored on its first six drives before backup quarterback Michael Collins took over.
Against stiffer competition like SMU, the Horned Frogs know they will need a more balanced attack on offense. Look for junior running back Darius Anderson to be a bigger factor after last week's 36-yard output on eight carries.
Meanwhile, Mustangs quarterback Ben Hicks completed 50 percent of his passes last week for 252 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The star of SMU's offense was running back Braeden West, who ran for a five-yard score and took a West pass to the house from 71 yards out. Wideout James Proche had just two receptions on the day, but one was for a 59-yard touchdown.
If the Mustangs plan to win -- or at least cover -- on Friday, they will need a stronger performance from wideout Reggie Roberson, who caught four balls for 67 yards against North Texas. They'll also need a stronger defensive effort. Against the Mean Green, the secondary yielded a stunning 41 completions on 51 attempts -- a success rate of better than 80 percent.
Who wins TCU vs. SMU? And which side covers well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the computer model that has crushed the books and is on a 6-1 college football run.