The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and the Houston Cougars will duke it out at the New Mexico Bowl game this coming Thursday. Which team will end their season on a high note? Read on for more about this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors vs Houston Cougars NCAA Football New Mexico Bowl Game on December 24 2020
Where: Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
When: Thursday, December 24, 2020, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (+13) vs. Houston Cougars (-13) – view all 2020 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors (+13)
Record: 4-4 Overall / 4-4 Conference
The Rainbow Warriors will come into this bowl game on the heels of a dominant 38-21 home win over the UNLV Rebels on Dec. 13. A great defense and a whole lot of rushing attacks were the ingredients to Hawaii’s success in that game, as the Rainbow Warriors forced three turnovers and rushed for 252 yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro went 20 of 33 for 252 passing yards, but had zero touchdowns while also getting intercepted once. However, he led the team with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. Hawaii will look to generate enough pressure to coax turnovers against the Cougars, who are an error-prone team. The Cougars are averaging 1.9 turnovers per game. Houston also struggles with discipline, as evidenced by its 113th-ranked average of 8.0 penalties per contest.
The under is 3-0 in Hawaii’s last three games overall.
Betting on the Houston Cougars (-13)
Record: 3-4 Overall / 3-3 Conference
Houston lost a close one to the Memphis Tigers on the road in the Cougars’ most recent outing, 30-27. Quarterback Clayton Tune went 30 of 49 for 270 passing yards and two touchdowns against an interception against the Tigers. Houston lost that game despite outgaining the Tigers, 409-310, thanks in part to a 5-of-5 line on fourth-down conversion attempts. Houston has been actually good in those situations, clearly trusting its offense to make plays when the team’s under pressure. In fact, the Cougars are ninth in the nation with an 80 percent conversion rate on fourth downs. But the defense could be the bigger key in the bowl game for Houston. The Cougars have a solid pass rush that’s eight in the nation with 9.28 sack percentage. That doesn’t sound good for Hawaii’s offensive line that has allowed 26 sacks on the season — the second-most in the Mountain West Conference.
The over is 6-4 against the spread in their last 10 games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston wins, 36-24.
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