There’s plenty at stake Wednesday night when the UTEP Miners visit the Sam Houston Bearkats for a Conference USA football showdown. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The Bearkats (0-7, 0-4) remain in search of their first victory at the FBS level after transitioning from FCS this season. They have seen three of their past four losses come by seven points or fewer and have had two games go to overtime in that span. Meanwhile, the Miners (2-6, 1-3) seek a second consecutive conference road victory to keep their slim bowl hopes alive.
The Bearkats are 3.5-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 37 in the latest SportsLine consensus UTEP vs. Sam Houston odds. Before making any Sam Houston vs. UTEP picks, be sure to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on UTEP vs. Sam Houston and just revealed its picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several college football odds and trends for Sam Houston vs. UTEP:
- UTEP vs. Sam Houston: Sam Houston -3.5
- UTEP vs. Sam Houston State over/under: 37 points
- UTEP vs. Sam Houston State money line: Sam Houston -174, UTEP +146
- UTEP: The Miners have gone Under their game total in eight of their past 12 games.
- SHU: The Bearkats are 0-1 against the spread as a betting favorite this season.
- UTEP vs. Sam Houston picks: See picks at SportsLine
- UTEP vs. Sam Houston live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why Sam Houston can cover
Whenever a program transitions to the FBS level from FCS, the obvious concern lies with whether the team has or can quickly acquire the overall talent level needed to be competitive. Those questions were answered right away in contests against upper-tier FBS programs that were much more competitive than most observers anticipated.
For instance, in Week 2 Sam Houston fell to high-powered Air Force just 13-3 as a two-touchdown underdog. The 13 points remain the fewest this season for a Falcons club that is now 7-0 and boasts the nation’s top-ranked rushing attack at 306 yards per game. Sam Houston held the Falcons to 244 rushing yards and 258 total yards but could only muster 80 total offensive yards of its own.
The Bearkats also held undefeated Conference USA front-runner Liberty (7-0) to a season-low 21 points in a 21-16 Week 5 defeat. Sam Houston held the Flames scoreless in the second half and saw their potential game-winning drive come up just short when Liberty managed a goal-line stand as time expired. Sam Houston also allowed just 257 total yards in a 14-0 Week 1 loss to Big 12 newcomer BYU. See which team to pick here.
Why UTEP can cover
This matchup presents a pressurized spot for a UTEP club that has failed to meet expectations thus far. The Miners can only reach a bowl game by winning their last four regular-season contests and, with dates against Western Kentucky and Liberty in store, this appears unlikely.
Before the season, coach Dana Dimel said this was by far the best team he’s had at UTEP and expected to take a step forward from last year’s five-win campaign and earn a bowl invitation. The coach is aware that a rough season-ending stretch could spell the end of his time with the program.
Even so, the Miners will have something to build on if they can muster a second consecutive conference road victory. The first half they played against Florida International two weeks ago was their best stretch of the season and will attempt to duplicate that effort. “We’ve put ourselves with our backs against the wall, needing four wins in a row. But if you look at it like that it becomes a little all-consuming, so you don’t want to have that right now as you try to get yourself back on track,” Dimel told the media this week. See which team to pick here.
How to make Sam Houston vs. UTEP picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the point total. The model also says one side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins UTEP vs. Sam Houston, and which side of the spread hits in 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has notched a profit of $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
