Tulane vs. Houston Picks, Predictions College Football Week 5: Green Wave, Cougars Battle
Tulane and Houston meet Friday night in a game with a rather tight spread. Check out our picks for the Tulane Green Wave and Houston Cougars below.
Tulane visited Kansas State two weeks ago and beat the Wildcats 17-10. The Green Wave then suffered a 27-24 loss to Southern Miss as a 12-point favorite last week.
The Cougars are 2-2 straight up and 1-3 against the spread. Houston opened the season with a win over UTSA but then suffered back-to-back losses before a 34-27 win over Rice last week.
Here are our Tulane vs. Houston college football picks for Week 5 (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, and PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Tulane vs. Houston Game Info
Date: Friday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
Weather: 57 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 13-mph winds
Tulane vs. Houston Odds
Tulane vs. Houston Analysis
Houston opened as a 1-point favorite and that has grown to a consensus line of 2.5 with 72% of the tickets backing the Cougars. However, those account for just 55% of the handle on the spread.
The Over has gone up a half-point from 54 with 80% of the tickets accounting for 52% of the cash on the Over.
Tulane vs. Houston Picks
Tulane vs. Houston ATS Pick
Houston -2.5 (-107) ★★★
The Green Wave have been fantastic against the spread, covering in five of their last six games. Meanwhile, the Cougars are just 2-5. A lot of this boils down to expectations, and the Cougars have had loftier ones than Tulane.
The Cougars have covered three of their last four against the Green Wave, including a 40-22 road win last season. Quarterbacks Clayton Tune and Michael Pratt put up good numbers in that game, and both players will be back under center in 2022.
The Cougars' defense has struggled this season, so the Green Wave should score, but Houston has also played a very tough schedule. The Green Wave have the most impressive win of either team, however they also have the worst loss.
Tulane is much-improved from a season ago, but the Cougars are getting the hook at home.
Tulane vs. Houston O/U Pick
Over 54.5 (-105) ★★★★
Tune and Pratt returning under center for each team is more than enough to send this one Over. In last season’s matchup, Tune was 23-36 for 288 yards and three touchdowns, while Pratt was 20-30 for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
This season, the Cougars are allowing 442.8 yards per game, including 294.8 through the air. Their offense is scoring 32.3 per game while allowing 35.8.
This total is definitely under 60 because of the Green Wave’s numbers. They are allowing just 11.8 points per game. However, a 42-10 win over UMass and a 52-0 win over Alcorn State are inflating their offensive and defensive numbers.
The Cougars have scored 30 or more in every game this season. That will continue against the Green Wave, and Tulane is going to keep up.
Tulane vs. Houston Prop Pick
First half Over 27 (-105) ★★★
The major difference between last season and this season is that Houston’s defense is worse and Tulane’s offense is better. That should allow Tulane to get into the 30s.
Houston has been a slow-starting team this year. Despite scoring 30 or more in every game, the Cougars have only scored 3, 7, 14, and 10 in the first half of games.
Yet, the offense was humming in the second half last week, and the Green Wave are the most familiar foe they’ve taken on in the first five weeks. The Cougars get off to their best start of the season, as they get into the 20s in a high-scoring first 30.
Where to Bet on Tulane vs. Houston
Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:
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Tulane-Houston picks made 9/27/2022 at 9:45 a.m. ET
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