The Cougars have won two of three games -- and were competitive in the other -- since standout QB D'Eriq King made the decision to red-shirt and sit out the rest of the way. Capable sophomore Clayton Tune should be back after missing last week's game with a hamstring injury. Houston has a brutal stretch run that includes dates with Central Florida and Memphis. Stopping SMU's undefeated start would keep its feint hopes of bowl-eligibility alive. the Cougars might not pull it off, but this will be closer than many observers anticipate.

Both of these teams are on short weeks here, as they both played on Saturday. While I lean toward laying the points with SMU if I'm betting the spread, the Mustangs have a huge game with Memphis next week, and could be looking ahead to that matchup. So instead of the spread, I'll take the Under. If SMU gets ahead it will likely keep things vanilla and just try to get out of Houston and go home.

If Houston is going to get up for a game, it will be this one. The past five years, the average line in this series has been Houston by 19.5 points, with the Cougars winning by seven on average. The underdog has been great in this series. Last week Houston had to use its fourth-string QB. No. 2 quarterback Clayton Tune returns this week, which is a five-point upgrade. Take the points with the Cougars.

Houston’s issues took a break on Saturday against a bad UConn team. But on a short week the Cougars will host an SMU team that has taken advantage of its American Athletic Conference schedule. This is not the spot to anticipate a Mustangs letdown. Keep riding SMU as its offense continues to pour in points. Lay it.

While Houston is on its third QB of the season and trying to find some offense, Shane Buechele and the SMU offense are clicking on all cylinders, averaging 44 ppg and 521 ypg. They’re 7-0 and have covered six of those games. They’ve also gone Over the total in all seven games, three of them coming on the road. Houston is allowing 30 ppg. Over is the play.

This game would be prime for the Mustangs to slip up, but when you have complete focus on the task at hand, it's hard to see that happening. SMU is playing strong defense, in addition to great offense. And while the Cougars do pose a threat on the perimeter, that won't be enough to keep this one close. SMU covers.