Wk 9 · 2026
SMU Mustangs at Syracuse Orange — Sat, Oct 31
Sat, Oct 31 ·
JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
Weather
This one is played indoors. There is nothing to forecast.
What is at stake
A ACC game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race. SMU is ranked #24 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
SMU form
W 25-16vs BCW 34-24vs MOSTL 31-41at LOUW 56-10vs UCDW 27-24at FSU
2026 season
Syracuse form
L 25-28at UVAW 42-41at CONNL 13-27at PITTL 18-21vs CALW 66-3vs UNH
2026 season
SMU this season
Straight up4-1 · 80% (5 games)
Against the spread1-3-1 · 25% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Syracuse this season
Straight up2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 5
| Opponent | SMU | Syracuse |
|---|---|---|
| Louisville ACC | at L 31-41 preview | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Boston College ACC | vs W 25-16 preview | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Virginia ACC | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | at L 25-28 preview |
| California ACC | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview | vs L 18-21 preview |
| Notre Dame FBS Indep. | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, SMU leads 1–0 · SMU won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
13.0 points toward SMU
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-10-04 | Syracuse 18 — 31 SMU | at SMU | SMU |
SMU leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Kevin Jennings QB #7 | 117/156, 1588 YDS, 14 TD, 5 INT |
| Ty Hawkins QB #1 | 11/13, 104 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Rushing | Kendrick Raphael RB #6 | 77 CAR, 418 YDS, 6 TD |
| Dramekco Green RB #4 | 36 CAR, 111 YDS | |
| Kevin Jennings QB #7 | 32 CAR, 69 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Yamir Knight WR #8 | 29 REC, 367 YDS, 2 TD |
| Jalen Cooper WR #10 | 19 REC, 290 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Yannick Smith WR #3 | 14 REC, 231 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Randy Pittman TE #5 | 16 REC, 153 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Tyren Polley Jr. S #10 | 30 |
| Alexander Kilgore LB #23 | 25 | |
| Jimmy Wyrick S #21 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Marques White DE #16 | 4.5 |
| Aakil Washington DE #58 | 2 | |
| Jimmy Wyrick S #21 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Jarvis Lee S #1 | 1 |
| Brandon Booker LB #28 | 1 |
Syracuse leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Steve Angeli QB #9 | 57/104, 731 YDS, 4 TD, 5 INT |
| Amari Odom QB #12 | 37/48, 398 YDS, 6 TD, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | Tylik Hill RB #20 | 46 CAR, 287 YDS, 1 TD |
| Shavane Anderson Jr. RB #23 | 30 CAR, 146 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Ahmad Miller RB #22 | 24 CAR, 102 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Umari Hatcher WR #2 | 29 REC, 434 YDS, 5 TD |
| Justus Ross-Simmons WR #12 | 10 REC, 161 YDS | |
| Daunte Bacheyie TE #19 | 7 REC, 120 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Darius Johnson WR #6 | 12 REC, 109 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Chris D'Appolonia LB #6 | 26 |
| Braheem Long Jr. DB #0 | 22 | |
| Antoine Deslauriers LB #5 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Keyshawn Johnson LB #14 | 3.5 |
| Tunmise Adeleye DL #30 | 3 | |
| Steve Angeli QB #9 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Rashard Perry DL #92 | 1 |
| Davien Kerr DB #3 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.