Mid-week Conference USA action continues Wednesday when the Miners take on the Bearkats at 7:00 PM ET on CBS Sports Network. SBR's Isaiah Sirois previews the matchup in his UTEP vs Sam Houston prediction:
Over/Under pick: Over 47.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
Game prediction: Sam Houston ML (+125 via BetMGM)
"When you can get a home underdog in a matchup between equally terrible teams, it's time to pull the trigger. Lock in Sam Houston on the moneyline at +125 (44.4%) through BetMGM – which is right at the opening number – as most of the other betting sites are at +120 (45.5%) or below. A $10 bet on Sam Houston to deliver will return a tidy $12.50 profit, which is too good of a return to pass up.
Longo’s offense has come with some promise. Remember, he was the offensive coordinator at UNC during the record-setting seasons Sam Howell put together. He didn’t get the correct weapons for the scheme after moving to Wisconsin. That may be the case again in Sam Houston, but Hunter Watson has been trending in the right direction. He threw three touchdowns and no picks last week.
While UTEP deserves credit for its solid pass defense, there are some cracks. Liberty racked up 7.4 yards per attempt against the Flames last week. Bryson Barnes, the best quarterback UTEP has faced by passing efficiency, is averaging 8.3 yards per attempt. If Watson can keep progressing, the Bearkats should score a much-needed win."
Player prop bet: Hunter Watson to score anytime TD (+160 via DraftKings)
"Let’s trust Sam Houston’s starting quarterback to find the end zone. There are no yardage props available yet at betting apps. And while I presume I would like the Over for Watson’s passing yards, I’m comfortable backing him to score a rushing touchdown too.
Watson is averaging 41.6 rushing yards per contest with two scores this season. He averaged 53.9 per game with nine scores at Sam Houston last year.
The key piece here is UTEP’s solid pass defense. While the unit has been effective at limiting passing touchdowns, that's come at the expense of allowing rushing scores to signal-callers. Liberty’s Ethan Vasko took one to the house last week. Quarterbacks for Louisiana-Monroe, Texas, and Utah State all found the end zone against UTEP too, with Arch Manning even running two in by himself. "
Over/Under pick: Over 47.5 (-110 via DraftKings)
Game prediction: Sam Houston ML (+125 via BetMGM)
"When you can get a home underdog in a matchup between equally terrible teams, it's time to pull the trigger. Lock in Sam Houston on the moneyline at +125 (44.4%) through BetMGM – which is right at the opening number – as most of the other betting sites are at +120 (45.5%) or below. A $10 bet on Sam Houston to deliver will return a tidy $12.50 profit, which is too good of a return to pass up.
Longo’s offense has come with some promise. Remember, he was the offensive coordinator at UNC during the record-setting seasons Sam Howell put together. He didn’t get the correct weapons for the scheme after moving to Wisconsin. That may be the case again in Sam Houston, but Hunter Watson has been trending in the right direction. He threw three touchdowns and no picks last week.
While UTEP deserves credit for its solid pass defense, there are some cracks. Liberty racked up 7.4 yards per attempt against the Flames last week. Bryson Barnes, the best quarterback UTEP has faced by passing efficiency, is averaging 8.3 yards per attempt. If Watson can keep progressing, the Bearkats should score a much-needed win."
Player prop bet: Hunter Watson to score anytime TD (+160 via DraftKings)
"Let’s trust Sam Houston’s starting quarterback to find the end zone. There are no yardage props available yet at betting apps. And while I presume I would like the Over for Watson’s passing yards, I’m comfortable backing him to score a rushing touchdown too.
Watson is averaging 41.6 rushing yards per contest with two scores this season. He averaged 53.9 per game with nine scores at Sam Houston last year.
The key piece here is UTEP’s solid pass defense. While the unit has been effective at limiting passing touchdowns, that's come at the expense of allowing rushing scores to signal-callers. Liberty’s Ethan Vasko took one to the house last week. Quarterbacks for Louisiana-Monroe, Texas, and Utah State all found the end zone against UTEP too, with Arch Manning even running two in by himself. "