Overview

• Syracuse visits SMU on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, with the game on ACC Network.
• Rickie Collins starts at quarterback after Steve Angeli’s season-ending Achilles injury, coming off a 229-yard, no-touchdown outing in a 38–3 loss to Duke.
• Sportsbooks list SMU at -17.5, and Dimers’ 10,000-simulation model gives the Mustangs an 86% win probability with a 37–20 projection.
• Quarterback Kevin Jennings has thrown for at least 260 yards in every game, and SMU returns from an open week behind a top-rated pass-protection unit.
• Analysts highlight Syracuse’s defensive health concerns and SMU’s turnover tendency of roughly two per game as the clearest path for the Orange to keep it close, with most local picks leaning SMU and one panelist calling an upset.