Houston Cougars & Rice Owls Face Off in Home Opener Set to be a Close Contest
This year marks the first in the Big 12 for the Houston Cougars (1-0; 1-0-0 ATS), while the Rice Owls (0-1; 1-0-0 ATS) are in their first season in the American Athletic
Game outlook
This year marks the first in the Big 12 for the Houston Cougars (1-0; 1-0-0 ATS), while the Rice Owls (0-1; 1-0-0 ATS) are in their first season in the American Athletic Conference. Last season the Cougars won 34-27 at Houston, but this year the Owls will host in Rice Stadium. The Cougars are currently the favorites at -9.5 and Saturday's 7:00 p.m. EDT kickoff is sure to bring exciting Texas football to the forefront.
Game Info
When: Saturday, 9/9/2023 @ 7:00pm EST
Where: Rice Stadium Stadium Cougars vs Owls Betting Odds Moneyline: Cougars -369 | Owls +290
Spread: Cougars -9.5 (-110) | Owls +9.5 (-110)
Total: Over/Under 52.5 (-110)
Based on the moneyline, the implied probability that Houston will win straight-up is 79%.
Houston Cougars
The Houston Cougars had a narrow two-point win over UTSA last weekend, continuing a troubling trend of only one of their last six games being a win by more than seven points. The positive take away from this was that the defense - which gave up over 400 yards and 30 points per game last season - held the Roadrunners to only fourteen points. With many new faces in its front seven, Houston still needs time to gel, but the turnover performance was good confidence-building for the Cougars. Houston has new faces in quarterback and on the offensive line and despite an underwhelming performance (2.7 yards per carry, three sacks, and 233 yards passing with two touchdowns), they should still be able to rely on their passing game. At the moment, the power ranking by the NCAA of 26 with an average scoring of 17.7 points and an average of 33.5 points allowed per game should help the Cougars build on their confidence in the upcoming matchup. Houston is ranked 26th in power rankings, with an offense averaging 17.7 points per game and allowing an average of 33.5 points against them on defense. With a 1-0 record (1-0 ATS) this season, the Cougars need to continue gaining confidence through performances on the field. They have new faces at quarterback and the offensive line but, with passing being their strength, they will need to see more success from the running game for consistent results. Started the season 1-0. Game highlights vs. UTSA presented by @budlight #GoCoogs | #TEAM pic.twitter.com/TdnRiDuWZs