Wk 8 · 2026
California Golden Bears at SMU Mustangs — Sat, Oct 24
Sat, Oct 24 ·
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 54 days away and has no kickoff time yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
ACC · no games yet
at
TBDET
no line posted yet
Ratings differential SMU by 14.2
#19 SMU Mustangs
ACC · no games yet
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 #19 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17).
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.
California form
No completed games on record.
SMU form
No completed games on record.
California this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
SMU this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
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 | California | SMU |
|---|---|---|
| Syracuse ACC | at Wk 2 · scheduled preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| Virginia Tech ACC | vs Wk 6 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Wake Forest ACC | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Virginia ACC | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview |
| Stanford ACC | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at Wk 13 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, the series is level at 1–1 · California won the last one
2 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
14.5 points toward SMU
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-11-29 | SMU 35 — 38 California | at CAL | California |
| 2024 | 2024-11-30 | California 6 — 38 SMU | at SMU | SMU |
California leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele QB #3 | 288/453, 3117 YDS, 17 TD, 9 INT |
| Mason Mini TE #85 | 2/2, 58 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Kendrick Raphael RB #6 | 215 CAR, 853 YDS, 12 TD |
| LJ Johnson Jr. RB #11 | 34 CAR, 117 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Brandon High Jr. RB #10 | 23 CAR, 98 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Jacob De Jesus WR #21 | 99 REC, 892 YDS, 5 TD |
| Trond Grizzell WR #7 | 47 REC, 690 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Mason Mini TE #85 | 35 REC, 387 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Jordan King WR #4 | 22 REC, 267 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Cade Uluave LB #4 | 88 |
| Luke Ferrelli LB #12 | 87 | |
| Dru Polidore Jr. DB #2 | 59 | |
| Sacks | TJ Bush Jr. DL #3 | 5.5 |
| Chris Victor LB #16 | 3 | |
| Cade Uluave LB #4 | 3 | |
| Interceptions | Hezekiah Masses CB #5 | 5 |
| Cam Sidney DB #20 | 1 | |
| Luke Ferrelli LB #12 | 1 |
SMU leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Kevin Jennings QB #7 | 279/422, 3363 YDS, 26 TD, 10 INT |
| Charlie Fiser QB #14 | 4/4, 30 YDS | |
| Rushing | TJ Harden RB #27 | 161 CAR, 747 YDS, 7 TD |
| Chris Johnson Jr. RB #16 | 62 CAR, 463 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Derrick McFall WR #0 | 32 CAR, 183 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Receiving | Jordan Hudson WR #2 | 56 REC, 749 YDS, 6 TD |
| Romello Brinson WR #3 | 43 REC, 638 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Yamir Knight WR #8 | 47 REC, 533 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Matthew Hibner TE #88 | 29 REC, 351 YDS, 4 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Ahmaad Moses S #3 | 91 |
| Isaiah Nwokobia S #12 | 80 | |
| Brandon Booker LB #28 | 62 | |
| Sacks | Isaiah Smith LB #1 | 8.5 |
| Terry Webb DT #4 | 5.5 | |
| Cameron Robertson DE #9 | 5 | |
| Interceptions | Ahmaad Moses S #3 | 5 |
| Isaiah Nwokobia S #12 | 2 | |
| Jaelyn Davis-Robinson CB #13 | 2 |
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.