Arizona at SMU Week 1 College Football Matchup Arizona at SMU Matchup - Week 1
Fri, Jan 2 2026 · Postseason · Neutral Site · 🏟 Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, CA · Turf · 35,000 cap
Arizona✈ 361 miSame TZ SMU✈ 1,179 mi-2 hr TZ
Away (Neutral)
19 24
Final
SMU
Home (Neutral)
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Arizona
24
SMU -2.5
SMU
29
P&R Line SMU -5
P&R Total O/U 53.5
Confidence 75 Good
Vegas SMU -2.5 · O/U 55.5
Matchup Prediction
SMU has the edge in this matchup
Both Momentum Control (CSS) and Game Control metrics favor SMU entering this game.
Momentum Control
58.4%
SMU wins
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
SMU wins
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
SMU -2.5
O/U 55.5
Draft Kings
Advanced Stats
Advanced factors are split · No strong agreement signal
↓ See full breakdown
🚌 Arizona 2nd straight Road Game
Arizona 2025 Schedule
Arizona's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/30Arizona vs Hawai'i-13.5W40–655.5W40–6UY
Sat 9/6Arizona vs Weber State-31.5W48–356.5W48–3UY
Fri 9/12Arizona vs Kansas State+1.5W23–1755.5W23–17UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 9/27Arizona at Iowa State+4.0L14–3948.5L14–39ON
Sat 10/4Arizona vs Oklahoma State-21.5W41–1356.5W41–13UY
Sat 10/11Arizona vs BYU+2.5L27–3346.5L27–33ON
Sat 10/18Arizona at Houston-1.5L28–3147.5L28–31ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/1Arizona at Colorado-4.0W52–1752.5W52–17OY
Sat 11/8Arizona vs Kansas-5.5W24–2056.5W24–20UN
Sat 11/15Arizona at Cincinnati+6.5W30–2456.5W30–24UY
Sat 11/22Arizona vs Baylor-6.5W41–1761.5W41–17UY
Fri 11/28Arizona at Arizona State-2.0W23–748.5W23–7UY
Fri 1/2Arizona vs SMU+2.5L19–2455.5L19–24UN
SMU 2025 Schedule
SMU's 2025 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/30SMU vs East Texas A&M-51.0W42–1365.0W42–13UN
Sat 9/6SMU vs Baylor-3.0L45–4865.5L45–48ON
Sat 9/13SMU at Missouri State-29.5W28–1060.5W28–10UN
Sat 9/20SMU at TCU+6.5L24–3563.5L24–35UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/4SMU vs Syracuse-17.5W31–1856.5W31–18UN
Sat 10/11SMU vs Stanford-19.5W34–1055.5W34–10UY
Sat 10/18SMU at Clemson+3.5W35–2449.5W35–24OY
Sat 10/25SMU at Wake Forest-6.5L12–1353.5L12–13UN
Sat 11/1SMU vs Miami+8.5W26–2050.5W26–20UY
Sat 11/8SMU at Boston College-10.5W45–1354.5W45–13OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/22SMU vs Louisville-4.0W38–649.5W38–6UY
Sat 11/29SMU at California-13.5L35–3853.5L35–38ON
Fri 1/2SMU vs Arizona-2.5W24–1955.5W24–19UY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2025 season
SMU PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Split
Metrics disagree
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Arizona #58
+0.217
SMU #30
+0.331
SMU Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Arizona #73
+0.423
SMU #23
+0.572
SMU Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Arizona #5
0.202
SMU #15
0.188
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
Arizona Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Arizona #79
+6.396
SMU #53
+7.271
SMU Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Arizona #63
+0.829
SMU #64
+0.816
Arizona Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Arizona #4
66.3
SMU #109
72.4
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Arizona Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2025 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
SMU Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Arizona
9.6
SMU
15.2
Offense Rating
Arizona
21.5
SMU
25.0
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Arizona
11.9
SMU
9.8
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? SMU Edge
Avg sequences created per game
Arizona #28
1.36
SMU #22
1.55
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Arizona #55
0.82
SMU #2
0.27
SMU +0.18
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 11 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? SMU Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Arizona #1
57.0
SMU #1
57.8
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Arizona #49
28.3
SMU #19
27.7
SMU +0.8
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 12 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
SMU
2 — 0 sequences
✓ Predicted correctly
GC Battle
SMU
95.9 — 3.4 GC score
✓ Predicted correctly
Game Result
SMU won by 5
✓ Model called it
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on SMU, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Arizona
Brent Brennan #1
4–8 (33%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Seth Doege Yr 1 #1
DC Danny Gonzales Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
SMU
Rhett Lashlee #1
29–12 (71%) · Yr 4 at school
OC Casey Woods Yr 3 #1
DC Scott Symons Yr 3 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself