Unranked Houston travels to Lubbock to take on unranked Texas Tech at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday on FS2. Can the Red Raiders cover the 8.5-point spread as home favorites this weekend?
Houston is 2-2 straight up this season and 2-2 against the spread. Their best win came against UTSA. Their worst loss came against Rice.
Texas Tech is 1-3 straight up this season and 1-3 against the spread. Their only win came against Tarleton State, and their worst loss came against Wyoming.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
189 Houston Cougars (+8.5) at 190 Texas Tech Red Raiders (-8.5); O/U 50.5
3:30 PM ET, Saturday, September 30, 2023
Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX
Houston vs. Texas Tech Public Betting Information
As of this writing, the public is favoring the Cougars in this game. Our CFB Public Betting page shows that 72% of public bets are on Houston +8.5. Note that these numbers are subject to change and could be different once game time rolls around.
Houston Cougars Game Notes
Houston quarterback Donovan Smith had a big game in his team’s 38-7 win over Sam Houston last Saturday. The former Texas Tech QB threw for 294 yards and a touchdown and added 26 rushing yards in his team’s blowout win. Smith may be looking for a measure of revenge against his old school this weekend.
Houston running back Parker Jenkins also excelled in his club’s win last weekend. The freshman from Houston ran for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries as the Cougars racked up 186 rushing yards in their dominant victory over Sam Houston.
Texas Tech Red Raiders Game Notes
Texas Tech senior starting quarterback Tyler Shough (pronounced “Shuck”) broke his fibula against West Virginia last weekend in his team’s 20-13 road loss. It was a devastating injury for Shough and the Red Raiders as they will be forced to carry on without him for the third straight season.
In Shough’s stead, Texas Tech will start 6’2” 215-pound sophomore Behren Morton. Morton played poorly in relief last weekend as he only completed 13 of 37 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown while posting a QBR of 16.1. Morton did throw for 1,117 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions last year in 7 games of action for the Red Raiders. There’s a chance Behren Morton is a significant downgrade from a QB like Tyler Shough.
Houston vs. Texas Tech Betting Trends
The over is 6-4 in Houston’s last 10 games.
Texas Tech is 1-3 ATS in their last 4 games.
Houston is 6-3 ATS as an underdog in their last 9 games.
Houston vs. Texas Tech Betting Prediction
Texas Tech might be in trouble. The Red Raiders are 1-3 straight up this season with their only win coming over Tarleton State in Week 2. Texas Tech has losses to Wyoming, Oregon, and West Virginia on their resume. Only the Oregon loss is excusable. The Red Raiders were favored by 13 points over Wyoming and by 6 over West Virginia and lost both games outright. Then Texas Tech lost their quarterback Tyler Shough until late November. The hits keep coming for Texas Tech.
Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen has yet to win a Big 12 game in his team’s first season in the conference, and this might be the one on Saturday. Houston’s loss to Rice wasn’t good, but their loss to TCU wasn’t terrible as the Horned Frogs made it to the CFP Final last season. I like the revenge angle for Houston QB Donovan Smith as he played for Texas Tech for 2 seasons before transferring to Houston prior to the 2023 campaign. Smith should be better as a junior in an offense more suited to his talents. I like the fact that the Cougars are catching more than a touchdown against a backup QB, so I’ll take Houston and the points in Lubbock this weekend.