The TCU Horned Frogs and the Houston Cougars meet Saturday in college football action from TDECU Stadium. Here’s a Houston vs TCU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Houston vs TCU pick.
TCU Horned Frogs Betting Preview
TCU started out the year on a nice clip, beating North Carolina, Abilene Christian and SMU in the first three games before a loss to Arizona State. The Frogs went 3-2 over the next five with wins over Colorado, Baylor and West Virginia among losses to Kansas State and Iowa State. In the 20-17 loss to the Cyclones, the Frogs gave up 14 points in the final quarter. TCU ended up with 432 yards on offense with 319 pass yards, 5.4 yards per play, 30 first downs and 7-of-14 on third-down tries—but the three turnovers didn’t help matters in the eventual defeat.
In their matchup with BYU last weekend, the Frogs were down 27-10 by the end of the first half. TCU got outscored 17-3 the rest of the way (and gave up points in every quarter) during a 44-13 defeat in the end. QB Josh Hoover had a 10-of-23 line for 183 yards and a pair of picks. Jeremy Payne led the rush with nine carries for 55 yards, and Jon Denman rushed seven times for 45 yards with a score. Eric McAlister was the leading team receiver with 107 yards on four catches during the losing effort for the Horned Frogs.
Houston Cougars Betting Preview
Over on the Cougars’ side, they came out of the gate hot with wins over Stephen F Austin, Rice, Colorado and Oregon State in the first four games. Houston went 3-2 in their next five, beating Oklahoma State, Arizona and Arizona State with losses to Texas Tech and West Virginia otherwise. Houston fell to the Mountaineers 45-35 on November 1, giving up double-digit points in three of four quarters along with 403 total yards, 246 rushing yards and 20 first downs. The offense had four turnovers but also posted 27 first downs and 400 total yards.
In their last appearance versus UCF on November 7, the Cougars were down 24-17 by the end of the first half. Houston came back on a 13-3 run though, and took the victory 30-27 in the end. QB Conner Weigman finished with 223 yards, two scores and three picks while also leading the rush on 82 yards from 22 carries. Amare Thomas was the team’s top receiver with 103 yards and a TD on five catches in the winning effort for the Cougars.
TCU Horned Frogs @ Houston Cougars Betting Trends: Week 13
Houston Cougars Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 13, Ethan Sanchez ranks T7th amongst FBS players for made field goals (19) this season.
TCU Horned Frogs Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 13, Eric McAlister is one of only five players in the FBS to record 100+ receiving yards in three or more consecutive games this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Houston ranks 4th among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (1.9).
- Houston ranks 8th among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (94.1).
- TCU ranks 132nd among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (10.2).
- TCU ranks 126th among FBS teams for H2 opponent points per game this season (15.6).
Houston vs TCU Prediction
I’ll take a stab on Houston. We should have a pretty good matchup here if both teams play well, though. The Cougars got turnover happy in their tight road win over UCF on November 7, coughing up three picks with a lost fumble. Otherwise the offense did pretty well though, posting 433 yards, 210 rushing yards, 26 first downs and 8-of-16 on third downs. The defense gave up 282 yards total with 4.7 yards per play and just 14 first downs. The Knights’ nine penalties didn’t hurt, either. Houston has 30 or more points in consecutive games now, but they’ve also given up a combined 72 points in that pair as well.
As for TCU, they didn’t stand much of a chance on the road versus a very good BYU team last weekend and notched a tepid 183 passing yards, 5.2 yards per play, 15 first downs and 1-of-10 on third-down tries (not to mention the two picks). The Frogs haven’t been scoring great over their last two games—granted, against tough teams—with 30 combined points in that pair. The Frogs need to visit the scoreboard early on in this one if they want to build some confidence moving forward.