Utah (4-3) and Houston (2-5) will play in South Texas on Saturday in a Big 12 matchup at TDECU Stadium.
The Utes have dropped three straight after a great start to the season, falling to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
Meanwhile, the Cougars have had a difficult season under their new coach, owning just two wins on the year.
Utah is a 4-point favorite on the spread with a 37-point over/under. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 26, and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Check out our Utah vs Houston predictions and college football picks for this Week 9 NCAAF matchup.
Utah Utes vs Houston Cougars Prediction
- Utah vs Houston Pick: Houston Team Total Under 16.5
My Utah vs Houston best bet is to take the Cougars team total under 16.5 points. Find the best odds on our live NCAAF odds page.
Utah vs Houston Odds, Spread, Line
| Utah Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 37 -110o / -110u | -180 |
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 37 -110o / -110u | +150 |
- Utah vs Houston Point Spread: Utah -4 (-110) · Houston +4 (-110)
- Utah vs Houston Total: Over/Under 37
- Utah vs Houston Moneyline: Utah -180 · Houston +150
Utah Football vs Houston Football Preview
Utah Utes Betting Preview: Lean On The Defense
After winning the first four games, Utah — which came into the year as the favorite to win the Big 12 — has started to falter.
I would expect a veteran like Kyle Whittingham to turn this around.
This will be his 375th overall game at Utah and his 249th as the program's head coach. With Cameron Rising out for the remainder of the year, Whittingham will have to rely on his defense.
The Utes remain elite on the defensive side of the ball, allowing only 16.4 points per game, which ranks second in the Big 12 and 12th nationally.
The stop unit ranks in the top 10 nationally in third-down defense, limiting opponents to only 14 first downs per contest.
Now, can Whittingham get anything going on offense to complement the defense? With some big names left on the schedule, it must happen quickly to save this season.
Houston Cougars Betting Preview: Fritz's Defense, Run Game Improving
After five years under coach Dana Holgorsen, Houston decided to take the program in a new direction by bringing in veteran coach Willie Fritz. Fritz's 31-year coaching career has included successful stops at Tulane, Georgia Southern and Sam Houston State.
Unfortunately, this looks like a full rebuild in his debut campaign in Space City. It also doesn’t help that the program jumped to the Big 12 this year.
Even with the slow start, Fritz has led significant improvements on the defensive side of the ball. Houston’s defense ranks 19th nationally in passing yards allowed per game and 26th in total defense, which is much better through seven games than ranking outside the top 100 in those metrics last season.
On the other side of the ball, Fritz is starting to see his run scheme come to fruition. The Cougars have run for 859 yards over the last five games, a sharp contrast to the first two games, in which Houston rushed for a combined 96 yards.
Any passing game could take this Houston offense to the next level.
Houston vs Utah Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Houston and Utah match up statistically:
Utah Offense vs. Houston Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 85 | 38 | |
| Line Yards | 84 | 67 | |
| Pass Success | 119 | 80 | |
| Havoc | 87 | 76 | |
| Finishing Drives | 108 | 85 | |
| Quality Drives | 86 | 63 | |
Houston Offense vs. Utah Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 120 | 10 | |
| Line Yards | 107 | 14 | |
| Pass Success | 101 | 26 | |
| Havoc | 133 | 41 | |
| Finishing Drives | 134 | 6 | |
| Quality Drives | 78 | 11 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 124 | 75 |
| PFF Coverage | 47 | 84 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 58 | 131 |
| Middle 8 | 59 | 59 |
| Seconds per Play | 30.0 (122) | 30.8 (129) |
| Rush Rate | 54% (62) | 58% (50) |
How to Bet My Utah vs Houston Pick
In a game with a very low total, I can only look at the under in this spot.
However, I think there is a better play outside of the main betting markets to pick out a winning ticket.
My best bet is for Houston to fall under its team total of 16.5, which I would bet down to 14.5.
As I mentioned above, the Cougars’ primary route of attack on offense is through their ground game, which plays right into Utah’s strengths on defense. The Utes rank in the top 15 nationally in Rush Success Rate allowed and Defensive Line Yards.
The Utes also rank sixth nationally in Defensive Finishing Frives, while Houston ranks dead last in that metric on offense.
The only hope would be explosive plays, but the Cougars struggle to generate those.
The many other offensive issues have made this a profitable bet on the season. Houston has only topped 16.5 points in two of five games, which came against less superior defenses in TCU and Rice.
I won’t try to sell you on backing the Utah offense on the road, especially without Rising. I don’t have to with this bet, as I put all my trust in the Utes' defense to post another strong showing.
Pick: Houston Team Total Under 16.5 (Play to 14.5)
Utah vs Houston Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How To Watch
| Location: | TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 26 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
Utah vs Houston will be played at TDECU Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ESPN+.
Utah vs Houston Betting Trends
- 84% of bets and 91% of the money are on Utah to cover the spread
- 76% of bets and 52% of the money on the moneyline are on Utah to win outright
- 92% of bets and 68% of the money are on the over
Betting trends via our live, updating NCAAF public betting & money percentages page.
Utah vs Houston Weather
