Houston Cougars (8-1) vs. Temple Owls (3-6)
November 13, 2021 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Temple Owls +22 ; Over/Under: -55.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Temple Owls meet the Houston Cougars on Saturday in week 11 AAC college football action from Lincoln Financial Field. Houston just finished a game versus South Florida. In that one the Cougars posted a high-scoring 12-point victory. As for Temple, they played East Carolina in their last outing. The Owls lost in a blowout there. Check back alls season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Houston took a tough loss to Texas Tech in their opener, but then went on a nice win streak. The Cougars took out Rice, Grambling State, Navy, Tulsa, Tulane, East Carolina and SMU in their next seven outings to get to 7-1 on the season.
Last weekend versus South Florida, Houston carried a 28-28 tie into halftime but played better from there in a 54-42 win. QB Clayton Tune finished on 385 yards with three scores, and the Ta’Zhawn Henry/Alton McCaskill combo accounted for 255 rush yards and four TDs.
Over on the Temple side, they went 2-2 over their first four games this year, beating Wagner and Akron while otherwise falling to Boston College and Rutgers. The Owls beat Memphis then lost their net three to Cincinnati, South Florida and UCF.
In the East Carolina game, Temple gave up double-digit points in three quarters on the way to a 45-3 defeat. QB Justin Lynch finished with 50 yards on 8-of-22 passing and also led the rush with 42 yards. Randle Jones had seven catches for 33 yards as well.
The Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last five after an ATS loss and 5-2 ATS versus a team with a losing record. Houston is 17-7 ATS in their last 24 games on grass as well.
Meanwhile, the Owls are 15-6 ATS in their last 21 in November and 1-6 ATS in their last seven on grass. Temple is also 0-4 ATS in their last four overall.
PICK: I’m probably sticking with Houston, but that line is pretty thick. The first half in the USF game was dicey, but the Cougars ultimately responded well with 646 yards of offense, 9.9 yards per play and 30 first downs. Houston wasn’t at their best on defense in the first half against a Bulls team they should have destroyed, but they got the job done. Still, give South Florida some credit for a plucky game.
As for Temple, they couldn’t get much to go right against East Carolina, posting just 168 total yards, 2.7 yards per play and 12 first downs. The Owls collected a couple of turnovers but also gave up 450 yards and 22 first downs. They’re going to need a bounce-back performance here, and that’s going to be tough.
