Week 5 of the 2021 college football season goes on Friday, October 1, with the American Athletic Conference showdown from Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, so here’s the best Cougars vs. Golden Hurricane betting pick along with the latest odds update. 

Houston meets Tulsa for the first time since 2019 when the Cougars upset the Golden Hurricane as 6.5-point road underdogs, 24-14. Tulsa is a 3.5-point home fave this time around, while the Cougars sit +155 moneyline odds with a total of 56.5 points on BetUS Sportsbook.

The Cougars eye their fourth straight victory    

The Houston Cougars (3-1; 2-2 ATS) kicked off the 2021 CFB season with a surprising 38-21 loss to Texas Tech, playing as slight 2.5-point favorites at the neutral site. They bounced back with a nice 44-7 road victory over the Rice Owls, while over the last two weeks, the Cougars have beaten Grambling 45-0 and Navy 28-20 at home.

Houston managed to cover a massive 41-point spread in Week 3, but the Cougars disappointed last Saturday in that eight-point victory over the Midshipmen, failing to cover a 20-point spread. They overcame a ten-point deficit from halftime, as Ta’Zhawn Henry ran for a couple of touchdowns and Marcus Jones caught a 47-yard pass from Clayton Tune.

Through the first four weeks, Tune has tossed for 729 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions, completing 71.4 percent of his passing attempts. The Cougars are racking up just 128.0 rushing yards per contest (97th in the country) while surrendering 131.5 in a return (56th).

The Golden Hurricane snapped a five-game skid last Saturday 

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-3; 2-2 ATS) are coming off a 41-34 home victory to Arkansas State in Week 4, putting an end to their five-game losing streak. They’ve had some rough time through the first three weeks of the 2021 season and nearly blew a 17-point lead last Saturday while failing to cover a 14.5-point spread.

Davis Brin led the way for Tulsa in Week 4, throwing for 355 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Junior QB now has 1,208 yards, five touchdowns, and five picks on the season, while wideouts Josh Johnson and JuanCarlos Santana have combined for 40 receptions, 576 yards, and a pair of scores.

Tulsa is averaging 187.8 rushing yards per game (46th in the nation), as Shamari Brooks and Deneric Price have combined for 553 yards and three touchdowns so far. The Golden Hurricane’s run D ranks 75th in the country, allowing 147.3 yards per contest.  

Trends:

Houston:

  • 2-5 ATS in the last seven games against Tulsa 
  • 3-6 ATS in the last nine games overall

Tulsa:

  • 10-4 ATS in the last 14 games overall
  • 7-1 ATS in the last eight tilts against the American Athletic Conference

Houston vs. Tulsa Pick

Tulsa started the season with an upsetting 19-17 home loss to UC Irvine. In the next two weeks, the Goolden Hurricane have suffered a couple of losses at Oklahoma State 28-23 and No. 9 Ohio State 41-20, covering on both occasions and showing signs of life on the offensive end.

Frankly, Saturday’s clash against Houston could easily go either way, but I’m backing Tulsa to win by at least a field goal. The Cougars have met some bad teams over the last few weeks, and this is their first proper test on the road. Houston’s numbers on the defensive end look good, but I’m not sure they’re telling the whole story.

Pick: Take Tulsa -2.5 at -138      

The Total:

The over has hit in five of Tulsa’s last six games overall, including the previous three. The Golden Hurricane’s offense has done a solid job thus far, racking up a whopping 501 total yards against Ohio State and 663 against Arkansas State.

On the other hand, seven of the last nine meetings between the Cougars and Golden Hurricane went in the under, including the previous three. Also, the under is 6-3 in Houston’s last nine games overall. The visitors will lean on their defense in this one, and the totals look like a tricky wager. I lean the under because both teams should rush a lot, especially the hosts if they want to tire the Cougars’ defensive unit.

Pick: Go under 56.5 points at -110