Houston Cougars vs Kansas Jayhawks Betting Pick & Prediction 10/19/24
ESPN+ will be handling the TV coverage as the Houston Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks face off on Saturday, October 19th. The game is set for 3:30 ET at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Jayhawks are the -6.5 point favorites in what is a week eight Big 12 matchup. The over/under line is currently 46.5 points. Houston comes in with a 2-4 record, while Kansas is 1-5 on the season.
HOUSTON COUGARS VS KANSAS JAYHAWKS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Houston Cougars +6.5
This game will be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium at 3:30 ET on Saturday, October 19th.
WHY BET THE HOUSTON COUGARS:
- We have the Kansas Jayhawks winning this one by a score of 23 to 20
- Even though we like the Kansas Jayhawks to win, our ATS pick is to take the Houston Cougars at +6.5
- We see this game finishing below the line of 46.5 points
Will The Houston Cougars Pull Off An Upset As Road Underdogs
Houston enters Week 8 with a 2-4 record, ranked 78th in our power rankings. They face Kansas on the road, and their chances of reaching bowl eligibility stand at just 6.2%. The Cougars are 1-2 at home and 1-2 on the road this season.
Houston’s ATS record is 3-3, with a 2-1 mark on the road and 1-2 at home. They’ve been favored in two games, going 1-1 against the spread as favorites. Their average scoring margin is -6.8 points per game.
The Cougars are 0-6 against the over/under this season, with their games averaging 34.2 points. Their average over/under line has been 48.7 points, and this week’s line is set at 46.5 points.
Houston’s offense has struggled this season, averaging just 13.7 points per game, which ranks 98th nationally. They are 115th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 8. Their third-down conversion rate is only 27.8%, and their passing game is averaging 154.8 yards per game, placing them 119th in the country. Donovan Smith has thrown for 694 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 70.
Smith has completed 66.1% of his passes, and Houston ranks 20th in the nation in completion percentage. They are 44th in rushing attempts per game, averaging 142.5 yards on the ground. Stacy Sneed leads the team with 235 rushing yards, averaging 5 yards per carry. Stephon Johnson is the leading receiver with 202 yards and one touchdown.
Houston’s defense has been solid this season, ranking 31st nationally by allowing just 20.5 points per game. In their recent win against TCU, they gave up 19 points and forced two interceptions. Houston limited TCU to 66 rushing yards on 22 attempts and 233 passing yards.
On average, Houston’s defense has allowed 135.3 rushing yards per game and 161.7 passing yards, the 17th-lowest in the country. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 61.8% of their passes and have a passer rating of 88.3 against Houston.
Are The Kansas Jayhawks Going To Defend Home Field Advantage?
Kansas enters Week 8 with a 1-5 record and a 52nd-place ranking in our CFB power rankings. They have just a 6.6% chance of reaching bowl eligibility. At home, the Jayhawks are 0-2, and they’ve been favored in three of their six games this season.
Their average scoring margin is +2.8 points per game, but Kansas is 0-5 against the spread. They’ve gone 0-3 ATS as the favorite and 0-2 as the underdog.
The over/under line for this week is 46.5 points. Kansas games have averaged 54.2 points, with an average line of 55.9 points. Their over/under record stands at 3-2 this season.
Heading into week 8, Kansas ranks 48th in points scored, averaging 28.5 per game. They are 56th in our offensive power rankings. Their ground game is their strength, with 214 rushing yards per game on 37.2 attempts, placing them 23rd nationally.
Devin Neal leads the rushing attack with 584 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an average of 5 yards per carry. Jalon Daniels has thrown for 1,065 yards, with 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 68. Kansas ranks 102nd in passing yards per game.
Defensively, Kansas is allowing 25.7 points per game this season, ranking 53rd nationally. In their most recent game, a 35-31 loss to Arizona State, they gave up 35 points, including 205 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, while allowing 167 yards through the air.
Opponents are averaging 158.5 rushing yards per game against Kansas, and quarterbacks have posted a passer rating of 84.5, completing 57.8% of their passes for an average of 204.7 yards per game.