Week 3 of the 2026 college football season is headlined in part by a showdown between the Houston Cougars and Texas Tech Red Raiders on Friday night.
This marks the opening Big 12 game of the year for these two top-25 programs. Houston is 2-0 after beating Oregon State 33-20 and humiliating Southern 77-6. Texas Tech also comes in at 2-0 following a 33-10 win over Abilene Christian and a 35-24 defeat of Oregon State.
With Friday’s game set for 8:00 pm ET on FOX, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make.
Houston vs. Texas Tech betting picks and predictions
Houston +7.5 (-105)
The market has soured a bit on Texas Tech, the preseason Big 12 favorite. That’s why Houston is getting barely more than a touchdown’s worth of points, but even that number should be enough for the visitors based on how the Red Raiders have looked so far.
Head coach Joey McGuire’s squad was unconvincing against Oregon State last weekend and very well could have lost if not for an extremely questionable fourth-quarter offensive pass interference on the Beavers.
Texas Tech’s faith in quarterback Will Hammond appears to be shaky at best. McGuire has been rotating in Tommy Castellanos to run wildcat packages and other such formations in certain situations. That doesn't bode well for the offense as a whole heading into Big 12 competition, starting with a tough test against Houston’s defense.
The Red Raiders’ defense has also failed to inspire much confidence. Oregon State won the yardage battle by more than 100 yards this past Saturday while averaging almost seven yards per play.
Despite a steady rain for much of the game, the Beavers still passed for 417 yards. There is still plenty of talent on this unit, but it's clear that last season's defense – led by eventual second-round draft pick Jacob Rodriguez at linebacker – was clearly superior.
Houston is a rock-solid team with an excellent head coach in Willie Fritz, a veteran quarterback in Conner Weigman and a talented group of skill-position players. Giving 7.5 points to that kind of outfit is too much to ask.
Over 53.5 (-105)
Texas Tech pinned 35 points on Houston in last season’s matchup. The Red Raiders’ offense may not be as potent in 2026 with Hammond at the helm instead of Behren Morton, but they are still capable of moving the ball against any opponent – especially with running backs J’Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey having returned. They combined for 1,992 rushing yards and 24 total touchdowns in 2025.
Although the Cougars scored just 11 points against Texas Tech last year, keep in mind that Weigman left in the second quarter due to an injury. Weigman (425 passing yards, five total touchdowns, one interception through two games) should be poised to avenge what happened 11 months ago at least from an individual standpoint.
Neither the players nor the fans will complain about this game being played on Friday. Conditions are expected to be perfect before a band of thunderstorms comes through Lubbock on Saturday. When the elements aren’t a factor, the offenses can freely go to work.
All things considered, the over looks like the way to go.
Conner Weigman Over 220.5 passing yards (-115)
Expect Houston to rely heavily on Weigman’s right arm. Running back Makhi Hughes is a senior, but he did not get much work in previous stops at Tulane and Oregon.
To say that Hughes is an unproven commodity in the backfield would be an understatement. The Cougars’ ground game was decent against Oregon State, but Texas Tech allowed just 55 rushing yards on 2.9 yards per carry against the Beavers. The Red Raiders also limited the Cougars to 3.3 yards per attempt in last year’s encounter.
Weigman went 20-of-30 for 305 yards in his team’s victory over Oregon State two weeks ago.
Read more college football picks and predictions on site.
Houston vs. Texas Tech odds
Houston | +260 |
Texas Tech | -320 |
Spread | Texas Tech -7.5 |
Total Points | O/U 53.5 |
Houston vs. Texas Tech player props
Anytime Touchdown
J'Koby Williams (Texas Tech) | -120 |
Cameron Dickey (Texas Tech) | -110 |
Amare Thomas (Houston) | +105 |
Kenny Johnson (Texas Tech) | +120 |
Conner Weigman (Houston) | +135 |
Makhi Hughes (Houston) | +140 |
Read the latest college football news on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
