This week's picks

California vs. SMU 2026 Recap

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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California at SMU, Week 8

Final: California 20, SMU 59. The numbers' pick: SMU (correct). SP+ had SMU by 17.8, 90% to win.

California and SMU: team pages with every stat and national rank. Every Week 8 game, graded.

California at SMU, Week 8: questions people ask

Who won California vs. SMU, and what was the score?

SMU beat California 59–20 on Sat, Oct 24 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.

Did the numbers get California at SMU right?

Yes. The numbers picked SMU, 91% chance to win going in. All 3 ratings had SMU.

What decided California at SMU?

SMU had a 54% success rate to California's 33%. SMU hit more big plays: 17% of its plays were explosive (runs of 12+ yards, passes of 16+), to 9%.

California vs. SMU player stats: who had the big game?

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (California) threw for 271 yards, Kendrick Raphael (SMU) ran for 103 yards, and Chase Hendricks (California) had 83 receiving yards.

Who didn't play in California at SMU?

California played without Adam Mohammed (feature back).

What's the California–SMU series record now?

SMU leads 3–1.