CFB Handicapping: Southern Miss Golden Eagles vs Houston Cougars
Conference USA really doesn’t get the attention it deserves – they play some and fun exciting football.. Southern Miss enters this week having lost just two games all season long and possesses one of the best team’s that nobody talks about.
Golden Eagles vs. Cougars
Robertson Stadium – Houston, TX
Saturday December 3 – 12:00PM
Moneyline: Houston -490, Southern Miss +390
Spread (ATS): Houston -12.5
Over/Under: 71
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Southern Miss
This program never seems to have a down year and this year it ranks in the top 25 in points scored and against. Made all the more impressive by the fact that there are a bunch of top offenses in the conference.
If they want to beat Houston they are going to have to score some points. This offense averages 37 points per game with great balance, rushing and passing for more than 200 yards per game. On the ground they go with the hot hand – an amazing 5 running back have 285 yards or more, all averaging 4.9 yards per carry or higher. They would be smart to try and shorten the game by running the ball because their passing attack isn’t all that dynamic.
These teams met in the past two regular season, splitting two games with the home team winning both times. Both were high scoring affairs with 93 or more points scored in each and the winner breaking 50. To play that style this year will certainly play into the hands of the Cougars so Southern Miss should be trying to slow the pace down. Especially with that Cougar defense looking better and better as the season wore on.
Houston
The Houston Cougars took care of business last week by beating Tulsa in the finale. Because Conference USA is off the radar for most, many didn’t know that without that win they wouldn’t even be playing for the conference title let alone a BCS bid. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
It was maybe their most impressive performance of the season as they crushed the Golden Hurricane in the second half, outscoring them 35-6 including ,a shutout in the 4th quarter. This team’s defensive rep is improving.
That rep is being helped by the numbers too – the Cougars haven’t given up more than 17 points in any of the last 4 games. Considering that they score about that many in a quarter once per game makes this team very tough to beat. And if you do beat the defense you have to contend with QB Case Keenum directing the nation’s most prolific attack. He is coming off one of his better games with 457 yards passing and 5 TDs. Did you notice I used the word better? For anybody else that would be a record breaking effort.
At -12.5 this game is among a few Championships that Vegas is expecting to be a cakewalk. Houston has the advantage of playing at home and they have been cashing bets all season long with a 10-2 ATS record. With this offense there is seemingly no line or total the Cougars can’t top. Sometimes they even go over the total all by themselves. I think this one will be close for the first half but as has become custom the Cougars will dominate in the second half for an easy victory and first trip to BCS.
ATS Pick: Houston -12.5
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Houston 52 – Southern Miss 31
