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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.