An American Athletic battle is on tap between the No. 2 Houston Cougars and the SMU Mustangs at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday at Fertitta Center. Houston is riding a five-game winning streak following its 71-65 win over UCF on New Year's Eve. The Cougars are favored by 20 points in the latest Houston vs. SMU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 130.5. 

Before you make any SMU vs. Houston picks and predictions, you'll want to see what the SportsLine Projection Model is saying.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 9 of the season 30-16 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $800 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has simulated Houston vs. SMU 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You absolutely need to see it before locking in your own picks.

So who wins Houston vs. SMU? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks... If you're already a member, see the picks below!