Free NCAA Football Prediction: Green Wave vs. Cougars Odds
Looking for Tulane Green Wave vs. Houston Cougars free picks? College football betting sees the Green Wave taking on the Cougars on Friday, September 30th at TDECU Stadium in Houston, TX. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 5 predictions like this Tulane-Houston free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 5
(3-1) Tulane Green Wave vs. Houston Cougars (2-2)
Date: Friday, September 30th, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm EST
Venue: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: TUL +2.5 | HOU -2.5 (Bet Now!)
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: Green Wave +120 | Cougars -160
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 54
The Tulane Green Wave will cross the state border and take on the Houston Cougars from TDECU Stadium this Friday on ESPN. Houston will open as the 17-point favorites, with the total opening at 54.
HISTORY: Houston and Tulane have faced off in every season since 1996 dating back to their time as rivals in Conference USA. Houston leads the all-time series 19-7, and they’ve won five of the last seven meetings.
Tulane Green Wave
Tulane jumped out to a 3-0 start that included one of the bigger wins in school history. The Green Wave opened the season with home victories over UMass and Alcorn State, out scoring them 92-10. Tulane then traveled to and defeated a talented Kansas State team that just upset Oklahoma. The Green Wave almost came away from non-conference play with a clean record, but a familiar nearby foe would put a wrench in things last Saturday.
Last weekend, Tulane loss to former Conference USA rival Southern Miss, 27-24.
Michael Pratt has provided solid play here in Year 3. The junior quarterback threw for five touchdowns in the first two games, and he led the game-winning drive to upset KState. Southern Miss gave the QB a hard time, but Houston’s defense seems a lot less imposing, so a bounce back performance is possible here.
Pratt has thrown for 905 passing yards with seven touchdowns to three interceptions, and rushed for 197 yards and a score through the first month of the season.
Tyjae Spears took control of the backfield last weekend, and should be the featured ball carrier going forward. The senior back finally broke out after a slow start, gaining 188 yards from scrimmage against USM and scoring twice.
Jha’Quan Jackson and Dea Dea McDougle have been Pratt top options through the first month of the season. McDougle leads Tulane with 10 receptions, while Jackson has caught eight passes for 154 yards and two scores.
Houston Cougars
Houston survived a scare from UTSA in the opener, but they couldn’t escape defeat another in-state foe in Texas Tech. The Cougs forced overtime but they couldn’t contain TTU quarterback Donovan Smith, leading to their first loss of the season. The Cougars hosted Kansas in what will be a conference matchup in the near future, and failed to deliver in their home opener. The Cougs welcomed their cross-town rivals over to TDECU last Saturday, and barely escaped.
Last weekend, Houston defeated Rice, 34-27, dropping to 1-3 ATS this season.
Clayton Tune brings a ton of experience to the position. For the past three seasons, Tune has led on of the AAC’s best offenses, and he’s off to another strong start here in 2022. The fifth-year senior had a strong performance against UTSA (206 pass yards, 4 total touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush), but he struggled against Power 5 schools Texas Tech and Kansas.
Tune has thrown for 993 passing yards, with seven touchdowns to three interceptions through the first four games, and he’s added 138 rushing yards and two scores on the ground as well.
Brandon Campbell and Ta’Zhawn Henry have split the load early for Houston. Henry had a big game against KU, gaining 163 total yards (56 rush, 107 rec), while scoring a rushing and receiving touchdown and he followed it up with a 100-yard performance versus Rice. Campbell has come over from USC and given the Cougars a reliable, three-down presence early. The hometown product totaled 134 yards (80 rush, 54 rec), including a 18-yard touchdown run in the lost to Texas Tech.
Nathaniel Dell has picked up where he left off as one of the best receivers in the country. Dell racked up 1,179 receiving yards in 2021, and he surpassed the 2,000-yard career mark with his impressive seven-catch, 120-yard performance against the Red Raiders. The senior wideout topped that number against Rice, and he’s up to conference leads of 25 receptions and 380 receiving yards.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- HOU are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- TUL are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
- Cougars are 4-4 ATS in their last 8 home games.
- Green Wave are 3-5 ATS in their last 8 road games.
Free Week 5 NCAA Football Final Analysis:
Houston is among a handful of solid teams that just can’t seem to cover early, but they quietly come into their most manageable spot of the season, against a solid Tulane team nonetheless. The Cougs will be at home Friday with a three-point margin to tackle, which will be the smallest they’ve had all season. Houston won’t have the pressure of beating a cross-town rival by 18 or be facing a team an offensively skilled as Kansas here. They come into this matchup as the better team, and we simply like them capitalizing at home here.
Take Houston’s spread for AAC battle Friday nite.
4* Free Week 5 NCAA Betting Pick: Houston -2.5
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