Tulane Green Wave vs. Houston Cougars Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Houston Cougars hope to put a rocky non-conference performance behind them in their AAC opener against the Tulane Green Wave on Friday. This game will be played on September 30, 2022, at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Updated on 04/27/2024

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TULANE GREEN WAVE vs. HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING PREDICTION

Dana Holgorsen’s Houston Cougars were seen as a trendy pick to win the AAC at the start of the season. The Cougars dodge both UCF and Cincinnati in cross-division play, giving them a leg up on their division rivals. However, there are questions about this team after a 2-2 start, and they are only short favorites at home against Willie Fritz and the Tulane Green Wave on Friday night.

Score Prediction: Tulane 27, Houston 23
Best Bet: Tulane +2.5 (-110)

TULANE GREEN WAVE vs. HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING ODDS

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TULANE GREEN WAVE vs. HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Friday, Sept. 30, 2022
Matchup: AAC
Venue: TDECU Stadium
Location: Houston, Texas
Time-TV: ESPN, 7:00 p.m. ET
Expert Picks

TULANE GREEN WAVE BETTING ANALYSIS

Tulane was very unlucky to lose last week against Southern Miss. The Green Wave had twice as many first downs as the Golden Eagles, and they had 200 more yards than their opponents. However, Tulane had two missed field goals and turned the ball over on downs twice.

Michael Pratt is in his third season as the starting quarterback for this offense. Pratt is having his best year yet, completing 63.5% of his passes for 9.4 YPA with seven touchdowns and three interceptions, and he is averaging 5.2 YPC. That has this offense currently ranked 59^th in SP+.

The Green Wave keep the ball on the ground a lot under Willie Fritz. They run on over 60% of their plays, and Tulane has Tyjae Spears and Iverson Celestine carrying the rock alongside Pratt. Spears is averaging 4.3 YPC, while Celestine is averaging 4.5 YPC.

This defense is ranked 13^th nationally in scoring defense (15.7 PPG) and 8^th nationally in total defense (268.7 YPG). Tulane hasn’t faced any great offenses yet though, so this unit ranks 51^st in Defensive SP+. Macon Clark is a playmaker in the secondary with 21 tackles, two passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and an interception through four games.

HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Houston Cougars enter this game at 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS. They eked out a win in triple overtime against UTSA in their season opener, but they fell to Texas Tech in double overtime in Week 2. Tempers exploded on the sidelines after they were routed by Kansas two weeks ago, but they bounced back to beat Rice last Saturday thanks to a late fumble return touchdown from Nelson Ceaser.

Dana Holgorsen expressed his frustration with this team after last week’s win and then walked back those comments a couple days later. Houston leads the nation in penalties, averaging 10.5 penalties per game for almost 95 yards. It’s the latest incident with a team that is clearly having chemistry issues, and those could be on display once more on Friday.

Houston’s offense is ranked 28^th per SP+. Clayton Tune is completing 64.8% of his passes for 7.8 YPA with seven touchdowns and three interceptions, and his favorite target is 2021 AAC First Team pick Nathaniel Dell. Dell has caught 25 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns on the year.

The ground game has been decent, but not spectacular. Ta’Zhawn Henry is averaging 4.5 YPC and USC transfer Brandon Campbell is averaging 4.9 YPC. Look for Henry and Tune to carry the ball a lot this game though, as Campbell is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of last week’s game against Rice.

This defense is ranked 99^th in SP+. Houston has a solid front four that can get to the quarterback, and edge rusher Derek Parish already has five sacks on the season. They are allowing 295.0 YPG through the air though, and they could have trouble against a run-heavy team like Tulane.

TULANE GREEN WAVE vs. HOUSTON COUGARS BETTING TRENDS

• Tulane is 5-1 ATS in its last six games.
• Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games.
• The total has gone UNDER in seven of Tulane's last nine games.
• The total has gone OVER in six of Houston's last seven games.
• Tulane is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games.
• Houston is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games.
• Tulane is 4-13-1 ATS in its last 18 games against Houston.
• Houston is 7-1 SU in its last eight home games.
• Tulane is 3-15 SU in its last 18 games against Houston.
• Tulane is 1-7 SU in their last eight road games.
• Houston is 8-1 SU in its last nine home games against Tulane.