Bet On College Football – Houston vs UTEP Gambling Preview
The Houston Cougars remain among the unbeaten teams across America after thumping Georgia State 56-0 last weekend. A win over an FCS opponent is hardly something to get overly excited about but quarterback Case Keenum continues to work his way up the all time passing list, passing former BYU QB Ty Detmer for third place all time.
Houston Cougars vs UTEP Miners
Sun Bowl Stadium – El Paso, Texas
Thursday September 29 – 8:00PM
Moneyline: Houston -650, UTEP +475
Spread (ATS): Houston -18
Over/Under: 64.5
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Houston
Don’t read too much into that shutout by the defense, this is still not a very good defensive team, but maybe they are getting better.
Keenum and the Cougars had little trouble dicing up Georgia State and the UTEP Miners might not put up much more of a fight. This team is all about offense and enters their first Conference USA tilt leading the nations with 446 yards of passing offense per game and they are third in scoring at 44ppg. Houston has been the more successful program of late but they have struggled against the Miners. The last three times they have visited UTEP have included 2 losses and no ATS victories.
Houston has a chance to run the table this year but they have to get past their nemesis to start conference play. After that the season sets up beautifully with a very manageable road schedule and only ECU and SMU as potetional home upsets due to their ability to score points at rates comparable to Houston. I think the Cougars will take care of business this weekend. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
UTEP
The UTEP Miners are happy to return home after 3 straight road games. They finished the trip 1-2, with losses to South Florida and SMU and a win over New Mexico State. This year’s UTEP team is not very good as they replaced almost their entire offense from last year. The lack of continuity shows too as they are ranked in the 90’s in yards per game and points.
Last week starting QB Nick Lamaison was unable to go so sophomore Carson Merger was forced into action. The inexperienced hurler threw only three passes last year so given that it was his first start he wasn’t too horrible – passing for 240 yards and 2 TD. His three picks were killer though including one that was returned for a TD. He needs a lot of help from his running game but that seems unlikely to come based on what we have seen thus far.
The only reason to think about backing the Miners here is because they have consistently been a thorn in the side of the Cougars. This is a lower echelon C-USA team that likely is going to clean house in the coaching department at the end of the year. However, a win in this game might be just enough to avoid a stay of execution for Mike Price and his staff so they should be highly motivated. Might.
ATS Pick: Houston -18
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Houston 49 – UTEP 24
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