Houston Cougars vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, 9/30/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Houston Cougars vs Texas Tech Red Raiders

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023

Location: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, TX

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Red Raiders (-10)

Total/Over-Under: 54.5

Jones AT&T Stadium is the site where the Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-3) will play the Houston Cougars (2-2) on Saturday, September 30, 2023. Houston is 10-point underdogs. The betting total comes in at 54.5.

The Houston Cougars come into this game with a record of 2-2 for this season. In their last game, the Cougars stepped onto the field against the Sam Houston State Bearkats and took home the win by a score of 38-7. Donovan Smith connected on 31/40 with 294 yds passing and 1 touchdown. He had a QB rating of 147.5 and walked away from the game with no interceptions. Parker Jenkins was the best rusher for the Cougars with 20 attempts for 105 yards (5.3 yds per carry). The Houston Cougars ran the ball a total of 37 times and had 186 yds, which had them averaging 5.0 yards per carry. For the game, they ran 79 plays which converted into 538 yards. Houston gave up 15 pass completions on 23 attempts for a total of 126 yards, and a completion percentage of 65.2%. When it came to stopping the run, the Cougars gave up 52 yards on 25 attempts, which is 2.1 yards per rush surrendered.

The Cougars have tallied 1,581 total yards for the year. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, Houston has earned 6 touchdowns through the air and 7 rushing touchdowns. They have turned the football over 3 different times. Houston has accumulated 85 first downs as a unit, and they have been flagged for 27 penalties for 224 yds. As a team they're maintaining an average of 127.8 yards rushing which has them sitting 99th in the country. When talking about putting the ball in the endzone, the Houston Cougars hold an average of 27.3 points per game.

Regarding passing yardage, the Cougars are allowing 1,050 yds which ranks them 105th in the nation. They have relinquished 262.5 yards per game through the air and allowed a completion percentage of 61.7%. Overall, they are surrendering 407.3 yards per outing putting them at 103rd in the nation. They have relinquished 6 touchdowns by air and 7 touchdowns via the ground game. They are giving up an average of 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 144.8 rushing yards per game on the campaign. During this campaign, they have given up 579 yards via the ground game in 4 contests. The Cougars are sitting in 73rd in the country concerning the opposition scoring, allowing 25.0 PPG.

Get all of our College Football Picks

The Red Raiders head into this matchup 1-3 for this year. When they last stepped on the field, the Red Raiders took a loss by a score of 20-13 when they played the West Virginia Mountaineers. Behren Morton (1 touchdown) walked away from the contest with 158 yds on 13/37 passing while his quarterback rating was 79.9. He didn't throw any picks and his average yards per attempt was 4.3. Tahj Brooks carried the rock 25 times for 149 yds, walking away from the contest with 6.0 yards per attempt for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders ended up finishing with 321 yards and they ran 81 plays (4.0 yards per play). Texas Tech rushed the football for 4.2 yds per attempt, finishing the contest with 160 yds on 38 carries. Texas Tech conceded 42 attempts on the ground for 157 yards (3.7 yards per rush). The Red Raiders passing defense allowed a completion rate of 59.1%, relinquishing 99 yds on 13 for 22 through the air.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders hold an average of 406.0 yards/game, ranking them 59th in the country. The Texas Tech offense has totaled 254 penalty yards on 24 violations, which is good for 66th in college football in terms of helping out the opposition. They are averaging 162.0 yards via the ground game and have run for 648 yards for the year. They have tossed 5 interceptions while letting opponents recover 1 fumble and they have recorded 99 1st downs. When it comes to how much they score, the Red Raiders are 68th in college football averaging 29.3 PPG. For the year so far, the Red Raiders have thrown for a total of 976 yards through the air as well as holding an average of 244.0 throwing yards per contest, ranking them 60th in the country.

Texas Tech has allowed the opposition a total of 586 yards rushing (146.5 yards/game) as well as 4 touchdowns by way of the ground game for the year. They have allowed 5 touchdowns via the pass as well as 201.0 yards per contest, which has them sitting 44th in the country. Their defense has totaled 2 fumbles recovered and 5 picks for the season. The Red Raiders defense has been on the field for 297 plays, which has them sitting 115th in the country. The Red Raiders are relinquishing 24.0 points per game, which puts them 71st in the nation. In total, they have given up 96 pts.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Cougars +10

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here