SMU vs. Pittsburgh: Epic Clash of Undefeated ACC Teams

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00:00We head to Dallas for an ACC affair between SMU and Pitt. The

00:09Panthers number 18 in the country. Not only perfect in

00:13ACC play but perfect all year long. Undefeated at seven and

00:17oh for the first time since 1982. SMU has one loss to BYU

00:23that is aged a lot better than we expected in the opening

00:26month of the season and from there has won five straight

00:30including all four of its first ACC games. Kev, to the heart of

00:34Dallas, to the heart of ACC country we go. SMU more than a

00:39touchdown favorite in this matchup against Pitt. Total

00:42working its way down ever so slightly. Fifty-six and a half

00:45as of this Saturday morning. Where do you start your

00:48breakdown? Yeah, I I started by typing in the we don't believe

00:51you bowl because nobody believes that either of these teams are

00:54legitimate threats but the winner will feel exactly that.

00:59Especially if you look at SMU because the runway is right in

01:03front of them. The one loss did come to BYU which at the time

01:07felt disastrous and look that's not going to be the case. The

01:10Cougars could lose out quite frankly and it's still not

01:13going to look like some massive black eye on the resume and in

01:16the fact that they've kind of shift quarterbacks around and

01:19then they get a little bit of extra grace. Not only winning

01:21here, what would remain Joe is home against Boston College at

01:24UVA at Cal. What kind of tie breakers we need to figure out

01:27in the ACC because unless Pitt pulls off this upset here, it's

01:32hard to see SMU losing another game, Joe. No, it's not and

01:37think about the game that they did lose to undefeated BYU in

01:40their building eighteen to fifteen. People wrote them off

01:43from that point and they've regrouped. It started with the

01:45dominant home win over Florida State in the early part of the

01:49year. Once they got that victory, they had confidence

01:51and they've been ripping off wins including last week 2827

01:55over Duke and Malik Murphy. That game goes right down to

01:58the wire. They run for 211 yards on that ground. That was

02:02a very good Duke front seven up until that point. The one

02:06concern I have now, both quarterbacks will play Holstein

02:09for Pitt and Jennings for SMU. Jennings a little turnover prone

02:13last week. Three interceptions. Both of these teams from a

02:15defensive perspective, Ben, mirror each other. Pitt giving

02:19up two and a half yards per carry. SMU only 2.7 yards per

02:23rush. Pitt holding opposing offenses to 57%. Completion

02:27percentage, 10 INTs. Five of them came last week against

02:30McCord. SMU, 12 INTs. I mean, it's amazing when you when you

02:35think about how good the defenses are for both of these

02:38teams. I've seen Narduzzi in this spot. I think complete

02:42Pitt is just a little bit more physical on the offense and

02:45defense lines. I do believe in Holstein even though they're on

02:48the road. I'm going to take the seven and a half points.

02:51Wouldn't shock me if they strike the upset. The Panthers

02:54are a perfect two and oh against the spread and outright

02:57as an underdog this year against Cincinnati and West

03:00Virginia. Two power conference victories in non-conference

03:05play. Again, Pitt looking for its first eight and oh start

03:08since 1981. SMU responded from the BYU loss by winning five

03:13straight. They had covered in their first four. Entering last

03:16week, they had a negative six turnover margin but blocked a

03:19field goal late to force overtime in Durham against the

03:23Blue Devils and escape with a one-point win. SMU last year in

03:27the American, a perfect nine and oh including that victory in a

03:30conference title game against Tulane. They won their final AAC

03:34game of 2022 under Rhett Lashley. This SMU team

03:38regardless of league has won fourteen consecutive conference

03:42matchups. They're three and one against the number this year

03:46and Kev, I think when you look at the quarterbacks in this

03:48matchup, Joe alluded to it. Both were slightly banked up in

03:51the most recent game for either club. Both expected to play

03:55Kevin Jennings for SMU. Three interceptions last week. Eli

04:00Holstein, a huge focus for Pitt. Pat Narduzzi, often an

04:04old-school grinded out kind of guy. Hires the 31-year-old

04:08Cade Bell as his offensive coordinator. Pitt goes from the

04:12worst scoring offense in the ACC a season ago averaging less

04:16than twenty-one points per game. Now looking like a wagon in a

04:20top ten scoring offense in the country. A lot of it the

04:23freshman quarterback and Eli Holstein. I know we're looking

04:26at the total differently. What I would say is since I've labeled

04:28this that we don't believe you ball. It is essentially a bet

04:31then that one of these teams will prove that to be a correct

04:35thought process where if our final score thirty-eight seventeen

04:40either direction, it narrowly sneaks under because one of them

04:44was not able to answer the call. I don't think this total is

04:47outlandish but it is me suggesting that either Jennings

04:50or Holstein doesn't answer the bell in this matchup.

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