Houston vs. Arizona State, 8:00 ET
Houston vs. Arizona State, 8:00 ET
I know this isn’t the correct forum to ask this, but does anyone care about Bowl Games outside of the College Football Playoffs now that we’ve gotten to the expansion? On one hand, we have the excitement of more football games, and I’m all for more football. On the other hand, the games really don’t mean anything in the grand scheme of winning a title. I suppose eventually it will get to a point where we have a 32 or 64-team bracket like in basketball. I think it would be fantastic even if it were logistically difficult. I ask this because neither Houston nor Arizona State will play in the Playoffs this year, but the games are still interesting even if we haven’t quite reached Bowl Season.
The Cougars have quietly put together a very nice season in the Big 12. Houston is not ranked, but could grab a ranking with a win over Arizona State today. At this point, the team is 6-1 for the year. The Cougars have only had one game against a ranked opponent this season, and it did not go well. They hosted Texas Tech, but they were dominated, losing that game 35-11. In that game, they did lose their starting quarterback, Conner Weigman, to injury. I’d argue that this was not as significant to the outcome as you might think. Before he left the game, Weigman was 5-for-12, throwing for just 71 yards and an interception. Any time a team loses its starting quarterback, their hopes have to go down the toilet a bit, but it isn’t like he was setting the Red Raiders defense on fire. Since that matchup, they’ve had two wins, one over Oklahoma State and one hosting Arizona last week. They have also taken down Oregon State and Colorado. Their defense is surprisingly good in these games, and the most points they’ve allowed is the 35 to Texas Tech.
Sep 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) throws a pass for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Arizona State hasn’t had as smooth of a year as they had hoped. They have played two ranked teams this season, and they’ve won both of those games. One of them was against TCU, and the other was against the aforementioned Texas Tech. That win took place last week, and the Sun Devils are now ranked 24th in the nation as a result, despite the 5-2 record. Their two losses have been to Mississippi State and Utah, both of them were road games. This team has struggled at times on offense. They haven’t scored more than 38 points this season, and that game was against the cupcake matchup of Northern Arizona. They’ve actually only hit 30 or more points twice this year. Sam Leavitt hasn’t been all that impressive, throwing just nine touchdowns and 1,358 yards for the year. The majority of those yards and touchdowns have gone to one receiver, so I suppose you could place a bit of blame on the receiving corps not being that great.
This game seems like we probably are being gifted a large line of more than a touchdown and extra point with Houston. However, Arizona State has been better at home than on the road. I don’t have a play on the side, but I do think Houston is probably the right one to take with the points. Instead, I’m taking the total and backing the under in this one. I don’t think Arizona State’s offense is all that impressive, and the Houston defense has looked really good. I’ll back the under.
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