Former coach Chad Morris has left SMU for Arkansas, but the Mustangs should be in good hands with fellow offensive Sonny Dykes taking the helm. Coincidentally, Dykes made a name for himself coaching at Louisiana Tech, the Mustangs' opponent in the Frisco Bowl on Wednesday. SMU has an edge in firepower and a home-field advantage with the site not far from its campus. Dykes has already stepped int o coach the bowl game, an unusual move for a new coach, but one that should work in this situation.

FRISCO BOWL (Frisco, Tex.) -- For every point that Louisiana Tech is receiving, there is a reason to play the Bulldogs. (1.) New SMU coach Sonny Dykes and most of his staff have been on the job for barely a week. (2.) The Mustangs lost three straight, then pulled one out of the hat against Tulane in their closing stretch of the schedule. (3.) While SMU sports two 1,000-yard receivers, Courtland Sutton and Trey Quinn, La-Tech has allowed just 16 touchdown passes and owns a serious pass rush. (4.) CB Jordan Wyatt (leg), SMU’s chief cover guy, will be absent from a unit that gave up 6.7 yards per snap, the highest of any bowler. Bonus reason: The Bulldogs are unbeaten in bowls the past three seasons, with an average margin of 13 points.

FRISCO BOWL (Frisco, Tex.) -- SMU QB Ben Hicks has thrown 12 TD passes over his last three games, and he's poised for another big game in the Frisco Bowl. The Mustangs will be highly motivated as they're making their first bowl appearance since 2012. In my simulations, the Mustangs are winning by double digits and covering 60 percent of the time. Lay the points.

FRISCO BOWL (Frisco, Texas) -- There's a coaching change at SMU, but that shouldn?t stop its offense from resembling the same explosive attack we?ve seen all season. La. Tech has just as good of an offensive attack as well. Its main issues have been penalties, turnovers and missed opportunities. Look for the Mustangs to take full advantage of those types of miscues.