Houston vs Tulane Picks and Odds
- The Houston Cougars will finally play their first game of the 2020 season on Thursday night against the Tulane Green Wave at 7:30pm EST
- Tulane running back Cameron Carroll is coming off of a breakout game, but is starting a true freshman quarterback for the first time
- See the odds, picks and a preview on a game within the story below
The Houston Cougars are hoping to finally start their 2020 football season this weekend when they host Tulane on Thursday night.
Bettors have loved the prospect of taking the Cougars in a game; the line from earlier this season against Baylor opened with Houston as a 6.5-point underdog, but that was quickly bet down to 3.5 before the game was cancelled.
The Cougars opened as 4.5-point favorites this week, but that has since been bet up to as high as 7 on several books. The eagerness to play UH has been stifled after numerous opponents have bowed out of games every week in an incredible run of bad COVID-19 luck.
Houston are fortunate to play their first game of the season against a team making a switch to a true freshman quarterback, but Tulane is also coming off of a bye week. Making a pick between a team that has already played three games and another playing its first of the season isn’t ideal, but there has been plenty of action in the Houston vs Tulane Odds.
Houston vs Tulane Week 6 Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane | +6.5 (-110) | +188 | O 60.5 (-110) |
| Houston | -6.5 (-110) | -235 | U 60.5 (-110) |
Odds taken from FanDuel on Oct. 6
Unstoppable Force vs Potentially Moveable Object
The perceived ‘strength vs strength’ matchup in this is Tulane’s rushing attack against Houston’s rush defense – maybe.
The Green Wave have run amok all over their opponents this season, despite being without senior Corey Dauphine and redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears in the backfield. Dauphine tore his achilles in July and Spears tore his ACL against Southern Miss on September 26th.
The next man up is junior running back Cameron Carroll, who finished the game against the Golden Eagles with 163 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 15 carries.
Last season, Houston was a top-35 defensive front in terms of average rush yards allowed per play, and a top unit in advanced stats focused on stopping the run in likely scenarios.
At home last season, those trends didn’t always bear out, as the Cougars allowed an average of 198 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per game. Houston could also be without linebackers Zamar Kirven and Terrance Edgeston in this one due to undisclosed injuries, which may further complicate things for head coach Dana Holgorsen.
Quarterbacks Looking to Prove Themselves
Tulane head coach Willie Fritz made the switch to True Freshman QB Michael Pratt against Southern Miss, and benched Keon Howard.
Pratt finished the game with 142 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He only completed eight of his eighteen passes, but should be better prepared this week coming out of a bye.
Fritz is still likely to pound the rock as often as possible to keep the pressure off of Pratt and the Houston offense off the field.
Michael Pratt brought energy and life to the Tulane offense yet finished the game with just 142 yards and 2 TDs. He had a few more beautiful deep shots that could've been hauled in but nevertheless:@GreenWaveFB has themselves a good one in the true freshman @michaelpratt930. pic.twitter.com/DnYjgH9Wbi
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) September 28, 2020
Clayton Tune will get the start for Houston after finishing last season as the Cougars’ quarterback. The sophomore took over for D’Eriq King after he announced he accepted a redshirt prior to his transfer to Miami. Tune finished last season with 1,533 passing yards, 11 touchdowns an 9 interceptions, but he’s expected to be more efficient this season with largely the same group of pass-catchers from last year returning with him.
Best Bet
Tulane is 2-1 overall and ATS against Houston over the last three seasons. Fritz is 2-0 on the road overall in 2020 and 12-14 ATS on the road in his career as Tulane’s head coach.
The Cougars have the benefit of having film on Tulane from three games this season and should they come out fired up to play, but they’ll do so in a 25-percent filled stadium. For live bettors, a first half line at -3.5 for Houston could be compelling if the Cougars receive the ball first.
Putting in the work to be ready for the moment 💪. #GoCoogs x #hoUSton pic.twitter.com/ImX5P3XG7j
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 4, 2020
Otherwise, there is value in taking the under at 60.5. This number is likely juiced by the 66-point performance Tulane gave against a bad Southern Miss team in its last game, but on the road with a true freshman quarterback making his first start, it would take a pretty big meltdown by Houston to hit that total again here. The Green Wave were a more attractive pick against the spread when they were +7 yesterday, but they’re still a decent play at +6.5 as the Cougars will likely have to shake off some nerves and rust in this one.
The Pick: Under 60.5 (-110)
Nick Krueger has over a decade of experience in sports media, covering a wide range of events including two Olympic Games for Yahoo Sports. Other areas of focus for Nick throughout his career have included college football recruiting, NCAA athletics and Major League Baseball Spring Training.
