No. 17 Arizona vs. SMU odds, line: 2026 college football picks for Holiday Bowl matchup from proven model

The 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats battle the SMU Mustangs in the Liberty Bowl on Friday night. Arizona is coming off a 23-7 win at Arizona State on Nov. 28, while SMU is coming off a 38-35 loss at California on Nov. 29. The Wildcats (9-3), who finished tied for fourth at 6-3 in the Big 12 Conference, have won five in a row. The Mustangs (8-4), who tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 6-2, are 1-0 against ranked teams this season. The transfer portal is affecting both teams, but most key players are expected to play for SMU. Arizona Coach Brett Brennan said he would not announce opt-outs until just before the start of the game.

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Kickoff from Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego is at 8 p.m. ET. The all-time series is tied 1-1, with Arizona winning 28-6 in the last meeting in 1985. The Wildcats are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Arizona vs. SMU odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 52.5 via SportsLine consensus. 

Before making any Arizona vs. SMU picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times, and it is 31-19 on rated college football money-line picks since the beginning of the 2024 season. 

The model has simulated Arizona vs. SMU 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it also says one side of the spread hits in nearly 60% of simulations!

So who wins Arizona vs. SMU, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times! 

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