The Tulane Green Wave will travel to John O’Quinn Field at TDECU Stadium for an AAC matchup against the Houston Cougars. Both teams have seen mixed results throughout the 2022 season.
Tulane owns an impressive win against Kansas State, although they followed that up with an embarrassing loss to Southern Mississippi. Houston owns wins over Rice and UTSA, but they’ve also lost to Texas Tech and Kansas this season.
In this article, I’ll break down the odds for this game as well as my favorite Tulane vs. Houston predictions.
Tulane vs. Houston Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulane | +2.5 (-105) | +125 | O 56.6 (-105) |
| @ Houston | -2.5 (-115) | -145 | U 56.5 (-115) |
Odds via BetFred Sportsbook as of 2:30 p.m. on Sep. 27.
Game Info
- Date: Friday, Sept. 30
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Location: John O’Quinn Field at TDECU Stadium – Houston, TX
- TV: ESPN
Tulane vs. Houston Trends
Let’s take a look at some relevant betting trends for the Tulane vs. Houston game:
- Tulane boasts a 3-1 ATS record this season.
- Houston’s posted a 1-3 ATS record so far in 2022.
- As of Tuesday afternoon, 74% of the bets and 52% of the handle were on Houston -2.5 spread.
- DraftKings also reports that 74% of the bets and 87% of the handle is on over 56.5 points.
- Tulane’s recorded a 1-3 over/under record this season.
- Houston’s hit the over in every game this season.
Is Tulane’s Defense A Farce?
Tulane wasn’t projected as a good defense entering the season. Phil Steele projected they would give up 29.2 points per game in 2022. They’ve been drastically better than anticipated, but can they keep that up?
Tulane quietly ranks 18th in the NCAA in points allowed per play (0.240). They’ve given up 27 or fewer points in every game this season. They also allowed only 10 points over their first two games, although they played Massachusetts and Alcorn State.
Tulane’s season got significantly more impressive with their win over Kansas State. They held a versatile Kansas State offense to only 10 points.
It wasn’t until Week 4 that we saw any team find more success against Tulane. Southern Miss struggled to run the ball, but Zach Wilcke threw for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 pass attempts. The third touchdown was an interception.
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Phil Steele projected Tulane to have a better run defense than pass defense, though. That will play a key part in this game.
Houston isn’t an overly successful rushing offense. They’re averaging 4.1 yards per carry, but Clayton Tune’s led their offense in rushing yards in three of four games this season. More importantly, Tune’s flashed as a passer this season.
Regardless of how they score, Tune’s arm is going to be the key to getting Houston down the field. Nathanial Dell’s quietly graded out as one of the best receivers in the NCAA, according to Pro Football Focus. He’ll be locked into a great matchup with Macon Clark this weekend.
Michael Pratt’s Rushing Potential
Tulane’s seen mixed offensive results this season. They’re an offense that relies heavily on running the ball. The wrinkle in their offense is that their quarterback, Michael Pratt, is one of their best rushers.
Tulane has multiple running backs that can handle a bigger workload with Pratt mixing it. It can help keep them fresh against defenses, as they generally need their running game working to find offensive success.
Houston’s seen mixed results against the run this season. They’re allowing 4.3 yards per carry in 2022. The key is that running quarterbacks have found success on the ground against the Cougars. Frank Harris ran for 63 yards and one touchdown on 8 carries. Jalon Daniels totaled 123 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries against Houston. Donovan Smith didn’t find as much success against them, running for only 28 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 carries.
Houston’s defense has struggled in some difficult matchups this season, but they gave up 27 points to Rice last week. Pratt will play a massive role in this game, and his versatility should give the Cougars some issues.
Tulane vs. Houston Predictions
Tulane and Houston are two relatively average-paced teams. They aren’t going to be playing at a rapid rate, which gives added room for error. Instead, this play focuses on two solid offenses against defenses that aren’t overly great.
Both of these teams have dual-threat quarterbacks, making the matchup that much more difficult for the defenses. Houston doesn’t truly need to get their run game working, and their passing game should be the focal point.
On the other side, Tulane should find some rushing success with their combination of quarterback and running back rooms. There’s too much offensive firepower for both of these defenses.
Pick: Over 55 total points | -114 at BetFred
