Houston vs. Oklahoma: Prediction, Preview, Picks and Odds
Week 2 of the college football season is here. Houston plays No. 16 Oklahoma, and Heartland College Sports has your game prediction, preview, and betting odds ahead of the matchup.
GAME INFO
Saturday, September 7; 6:45 p.m. (CT); Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium; Norman, OK
TV: SEC Network
Records: Houston (0-1); No. 16 Oklahoma (1-0)
Last Week: UNLV 27, Houston 7; Oklahoma 51, Temple 3
Series History: Oklahoma leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Oklahoma 49, Houston 31 (2019)
Fun Fact: Saturday’s matchup against Oklahoma will be the first meeting between the Cougars and Sooners since Houston joined the Big 12. It’s also the first time the Sooners will face a Big 12 team after leaving the league earlier this summer.
Houston vs. Oklahoma Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Oklahoma (-27.5)
Over/Under: 52.5
KEY PLAYERS
Houston Cougars
QB Donovan Smith
Houston’s offense topped 30 points just four times a season ago, but even half of that output would’ve been better than what the Coogs were able to put together against UNLV last week. Quarterback Donovan Smith struggled mightily in his first game under Willi Fritz, completing 15-of-31 (48.4%) with two interceptions in the 27-7 loss. The Oklahoma defense he’ll face in Week 2 is coming off a six-turnover performance and will look to add to that total this week.
CB A.J. Haulcy
There weren’t many bright spots for the Cougars’ defense on Saturday, but the play of cornerback A.J. Haulcy was at least promising for the future. The junior ranked fifth on the team with five tackles and had one PBU and one interception, which he returned for 48 yards. He’ll face a wide receiver group full of speedsters this week, and a sophomore making his third collegiate start in Jackson Arnold. Keeping the momentum up in the back end of the defense could go a long way in building confidence for this group.
Oklahoma Sooners
WR Deion Burks
After lighting it up in the Sooners’ spring game back in April, the Deion Burks hype train was full steam ahead. After Oklahoma’s season-opening victory over Temple, the steam is building once again. Burks caught three of Oklahoma’s four receiving touchdowns on the evening, and did so on just six receptions for 36 yards. Burks is an explosive athlete and will be one of the main fixtures in Oklahoma’s offense going forward.
LB Danny Stutsman
Senior LB Danny Stutsman is the heart and soul of the Sooners team, not just its defensive unit. He led the way with six tackles in last week’s game, but his impact on the field supersedes the stat sheet. Stutsman’s play recognition and ability to run Brent Venables’ scheme from the field makes him an integral part of what Oklahoma is doing on defense. If Houston’s offense is going to fool the Sooners’ D, they’ll have to sneak things past Stutsman.
KEY STORYLINES
Houston Cougars
Can the Cougars take care of the football in a hostile environment? Norman is a tough place to play as it is, but after the way the Sooners’ defense looked to open the season, the pressure will be immense for Houston’s offense to start fast and avoid costly turnovers. Donovan Smith threw two interceptions and fumbled once against UNLV – Houston lost that game by 20 points. That kind of performance against Oklahoma could put this in blowout territory in a hurry.
Oklahoma Sooners
Were the Sooners’ third down struggles a fluke? Despite the 51-3 final on the scoreboard, Oklahoma fans were left more worried than content with the offensive output in Week 1. The Sooners’ offense went just 1-for-12 on third down, and the offensive line was problematic more often than it wasn’t. Can they chalk it up to a multitude of new pieces just to get a feel for what things look like on game day? Maybe, but if it happens again and the Sooners don’t have six turnovers to set them up with essentially free points, it could become a major concern moving forward.
PREDICTION: Oklahoma 44, Houston 10
While I’d love to tell Cougar fans that they’ll march into Norman and make everyone forget about the egg they laid in Las Vegas last week, I’m not confident that will happen.
Oklahoma’s defense looked dominant, and its offense, while underwhelming against a bad Temple team, was as vanilla as you’ll see them call a game all season long. Good teams make their biggest jumps between Game 1 and Game 2, and I believe Oklahoma is a good football team. Houston? Not so much – at least not for now.
UH fans will need to be patient in the first year of the Willie Fritz era, but it will get better soon.
