Houston Cougars vs Baylor Bears Prediction, 11/4/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Baylor Bears

Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023

Location: McLane Stadium in Waco, TX

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Bears (-5)

Total/Over-Under: 58

The Houston Cougars (3-5) are headed to McLane Stadium on Saturday, November 4, 2023 where they will take on the Baylor Bears (3-5). Baylor opens as 5-point favorites. The total comes in at 58.

The Houston Cougars head into this game 3-5 for this year. In their last matchup, the Cougars played against the Kansas State Wildcats and took a loss by a final of 41-0. Parker Jenkins was the rushing leader for the Cougars with 12 attempts for 56 yards (4.7 yds per carry). Donovan Smith connected on 13/28 with 88 yards passing. He had a quarterback rating of 65.7 and finished the game with 1 interception. Against the run, the Cougars conceded 179 yards on 46 attempts, which is an average of 3.9 yds per run allowed. Houston allowed 21 completions on 24 tries for a total of 215 yards, and a completion percentage of 87.5%. For the game, they had 59 plays which totaled 208 yds. The Houston Cougars ran the football 26 times and accounted for 113 yards, which came out to an average of 4.3 yards per tote.

In terms of scoring, the Houston Cougars are sitting at 25.3 PPG. Offensively they're averaging 116.4 yards in the run game which has them sitting 109th in college football. The Cougars have earned 3,063 yards in total for the year. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Houston has earned 17 touchdowns via the pass and 8 touchdowns via the ground. Houston has a total of 162 1st downs as an offense, and they have committed 45 penalties for 416 yards. They have surrendered the football 7 times.

The Cougars sit in 111th in college football when it comes to the opposition scoring, conceding 32.5 points per contest. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 161.6 yards on the ground per contest for the season. During the season, they have given up 1,293 yards via the ground game in 8 games. When talking about passing yards, the Cougars are allowing 2,036 yds which has them sitting in 108th in the nation. They have yielded 254.5 yards per outing through the air and giving up a completion percentage of 64.8%. Overall, they have relinquished 416.1 yards per outing which has them ranked 110th in the nation. They have granted 15 touchdowns through the air and 18 touchdowns via the ground game.

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The Bears head into this matchup 3-5 for this season. When they last stepped on the field, the Bears took a defeat with a final score of 30-18 against the Iowa State Cyclones. Dawson Pendergrass ran the ball 8 times for 37 yards, walking away from the game with 4.6 yds per carry for Baylor. Blake Shapen (1 TD) finished the contest with 239 yards on 24/41 through the air while his QB rating was 110.7. He threw 1 interception and his average yards per attempt was 5.8. Baylor allowed 35 attempts on the ground for 162 yds (4.6 yards per rush). The Bears pass defense conceded a completion rate of 61.3%, relinquishing 238 yds on 19 out of 31 through the air. The Bears finished the game with a total of 306 yds while they ran 66 plays (4.6 yards per play). Baylor ran for 2.7 yards per tote, finishing with 67 yards on 25 carries.

When discussing their ability to score points, the Bears rank 101st in Division 1 by scoring 22.5 PPG. The Baylor Bears are averaging 388.5 yards/contest, which has them ranked 68th in Division 1. The Baylor offense has totaled 193 yds of penalties on 32 violations, ranking them 127th in the country in terms of helping out the other team. They have tossed 5 picks while allowing opponents to recover 5 fumbles and they have earned 159 1st downs. During the season thus far, the Bears have thrown for a total of 2,232 passing yards as well as holding an average of 279.0 passing yards per contest, which has them sitting 31st in Division 1. They are averaging 109.5 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 876 yards for the year.

The Bears are relinquishing 30.0 points per game, which has them sitting 103rd in D-1. Baylor has allowed the opposition a total of 1,556 yards rushing (194.5 yards/game) and 18 touchdowns via the rush this season. Over the course of the season, they have conceded 240 points in total. They have allowed 12 touchdowns through the air as well as 204.1 yards per game, ranking them 37th in the nation. The Bears defense has been on the field for 513 plays, which is 34th in college football. Their defense has 8 fumbles and 5 interceptions for the year.

Who will win tonight's Cougars/Bears college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Cougars +5

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