The Memphis Tigers (4-1, 2-0 AAC) welcome the Houston Cougars (2-3, 0-1) to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Houston vs. Memphis odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Tigers are coming off a 24-3 win over the Temple Owls last week. After opening the season with a 49-23 loss at Mississippi State, Memphis has won its last 4 games, all by double figures.
The Tigers are led by QB Seth Henigan, who has 1,276 passing yards through 5 games. He’s been the main star and is a dual-threat QB, also running for 147 yards on the ground. He’s 1 of 4 Tigers with 100-plus rushing yards this season.
As for Houston, the loss of DE Logan Hall, a 2nd-round 2022 NFL Draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been brutal for this defense. The Cougars have yet to hold an opponent under 27 points, most recently losing at home to Tulane 27-24 in overtime. Houston’s 2 wins came against Rice and UTSA by 3 and 2 points, respectively.
The Cougars may have the best player on the field in WR Nathaniel Dell though. He had 1,329 yards last season and has 453 receiving yards this season to go along with 5 touchdowns.
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Houston at Memphis odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 8:35 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Houston +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Memphis -135 (bet $135 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Houston +2.5 (-110) | Memphis -2.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 57.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Houston at Memphis picks and predictions
Prediction
Memphis 34, Houston 30
Moneyline
PASS.
I’m not laying the -135 juice with the home favorite here. I’d rather look to the spread for some value.
Against the spread
BET MEMPHIS -2.5 (-110).
The only suspect part of this line is it partially feels like a trap because of how well Memphis has been playing.
The Tigers are on a 4-game win streak, coming off a 21-point victory following wins of 10, 12 and 24 points, respectively. Behind Henigan, they have a QB that is far more proven as well.
Cougars QB Clayton Tune has 3 interceptions on the season and isn’t aided much by an offense that is averaging 90.8 penalty yards per game. They give up 1.4 turnovers per game as well.
Both of those game-changing numbers are more than cut in half by the Tigers, and that could be a huge factor here. Considering that and how Houston played against Tulane last week, I’d back the Tigers.
Over/Under
LEAN OVER 57.5 (-108).
Simply put, Houston’s defense is terrible. It’s allowing 409.2 yards per game with 24 total 1st downs.
Offensively, The Cougars’ Dell is a big-time player. With 2 TDs last week, he has proven to make big-time players over and over again. He should be able to be an impactful factor.
Both teams are 4-1 O/U as well, so this has been a good trend to follow throughout the season.
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