Free NCAA Football Prediction: Cougars vs. Tigers Odds
Looking for Houston Cougars vs. Auburn Tigers 2021 Birmingham Bowl free picks? College football betting sees the Cougars taking on the Tigers on Tuesday, December 28th, 2021 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, AL. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football games 2021 Birmingham Bowl predictions like this Houston – Auburn free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: 2021 Birmingham Bowl
Houston Cougars (11-2) vs. Auburn Tigers (6-6)
Date: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Venue: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: Houston +3 / Auburn -3 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Houston +128/ Auburn -148
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 52
The Houston Cougars will be taking on the Auburn Tigers in the Birmingham Bowl. The kickoff is set for 12:00 on December 28th.
Both of these teams ended their season with a loss. It is fair to say that the Cougars enjoyed more success this year, even though the Tigers play in a much tougher conference.
The Tigers opened up as a 2.5 point favorite and that number is now up to 3. The total has crept from 51.5 to 52.
Houston Cougars
Overall, I was very impressed with the way this Houston team played this year, even though they did not end it the way they would have liked to. I am sure that game against Cincinnati still bothers them.
The Cougars lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday by a score of 35-20. The game was close for a bit, but the better team just proved to be too much to handle. I can’t say the final result of that game really surprised me.
In the loss to the Bearcats, Clayton Tune was 17/26 for 250 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 pick. He did not play terribly, but he also did not have his best game. He, along with the whole offense, will be challenged a lot when they face that stout defense of Auburn.
The running game got completely held in check in the loss to Cincy. The Bearcats did a good job of sniffing out the runs and they never allowed them to get big plays on the ground, which made the offense for the Cougars fairly one-dimensional.
Throughout the year, I was impressed with the way this team played defense. With that said, they were just not able to do enough against Cincinnati. They held with them for a bit, but ultimately, did not have enough answers to stop a very good offense.
Auburn Tigers
There is no way to sugarcoat this: Auburn had a very disappointing season in 2021. Forget about making it to a bowl game, they were expected to do much bigger and better things than make it to the Birmingham Bowl.
This team last played on November 27th, where they lost in the Iron Bowl to Alabama by a score of 24-22. It was a game they should have won, but you have to give credit to the Crimson Tide for clawing their way back and getting the victory.
Against the Tide, TJ Finley was 17/26 for 137 yards with 2 touchdown passes and 1 pick. I was not impressed with the way he played at all. He was never able to get into a good rhythm in that game and they still almost won against the best team in the land.
Running back Tank Bigsby got totally held in check in their last game. The Alabama defense did a great job of focusing on him and making it difficult for him to find holes. He finished the day with 29 carries for only 63 yards.
The defense was up-and-down this year. In the loss to Bama, they played great for about three quarters, but they could not sustain success on that side of the ball. Eventually, the Tide proved to be too much for that unit to handle.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Houston is 11-1 SU in their last 12 games.
- Houston is 9-1 SU in their last 10 games this season.
- Houston is 5-11 SU in their last 16 games against an opponent in the SEC.
- Auburn is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games.
- Auburn is 6-6 ATS in their last 12 games.
- Auburn is 9-2 SU in their last 11 games played in December.
Free Birmingham Bowl NCAA Football Analysis
Even though Auburn is not a great team, I am excited to see Houston play against a power 5 team.
In this spot, I am going with the Cougars at +3.
4* 2021 Birmingham Bowl NCAA Betting Pick:
I am very curious to see how Auburn plays in this game after having a very disappointing regular season. Will they give full effort or will they just dog it?
Because this game is so far away, I have not heard anything official, but there is a good chance that a good amount of players on both sides will not play. When it gets closer to the game, this could certainly impact the line/total.
In this spot, I just do not trust the Tigers laying the 3 points, even though it is a small number. Also, I was very impressed with the way this Houston team played this year and I definitely feel like they can compete/win a game against a team like Auburn.
Give me Houston getting 3 points in Birmingham.
4* Free Birmingham Bowl NCAA Betting Pick: Houston +3
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