CFB Handicapping: Houston Cougars vs Tulane Green Wave
For those of you who may have lost track, Houston is one of only 5 teams still undefeated in FBS this season. They are certainly not the most talented of that bunch but with the schedule they have they might actually be the most likely team to finish the season that way.
Cougars vs. Green Wave
Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, LA
Thursday November 10 – 8:00PM
Moneyline: Houston -25,000, Tulane +9,000
Spread (ATS): Houston -34
Over/Under: 71
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Houston
They are currently ranked 11th in the BCS standings but there will be room to rise as long as they keep winning. This week should hardly be a challenge.
To say that the Cougars offense is cooking would be an understatement. Case Keenum is having a phenomenal final season and Houston hasn’t scored less than 35 points in a game this season. Their defense has improved this year but they can certainly outscore any mistakes they make and do so in a hurry. Inside a dome they may be even more lethal.
With their dominant offense Houston has been a top play for bettors all season long. They are 7-2 ATS and it seems there is no number too high as they even covered a -40 against Georgia State in September. I normally don’t like laying so many points with chalk the way Houston is abusing Conference USA this year it is not such a risky play.
Tulane
Green Wave football is bad. The have lost six in a row and only one of their losses has been by less than 10 points. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
They have already replaced their coach this season to try and get a jump for next year. The program wasn’t always this low and should be able to get some of the scraps that LSU leaves on the table in a great football state. This team was 12-0 in 1998 with Tommy Bowden at the helm and Shaun King at QB.
Coming into the season it was thought the strength of this team would be the running game featuring Orleans Darkwa. That hasn’t been the case with Darkwa topping 100 yards in just one game. That, and constantly playing from behind, has put pressure on QB Ryan Griffin. He has been better than expected but it is hard to evaluate him effectively given how much “garbage time” the Green Wave have played.
If you were thinking there might be some value with Tulane at home you would be wrong. There is no significant difference in their home road splits, confirming this a is a team with a dearth of talent as its primary shortcoming. These teams play every year and Tulane hasn’t won since 2002. Houston has won bit the last 7 with a perfect 7-0 ATS record as well.
ATS Pick: Houston -34
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Houston 59 – Tulane 17
