The Houston Cougars take on the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, OR. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Houston is favored by -13.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -525. The total is set at 47 points.
Here’s my Houston vs. Oregon State prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 26.
Houston vs Oregon State Prediction
- Houston vs. Oregon State Pick: Houston 1H -6.5
My Oregon State vs. Houston best bet is on the Cougars to cover the first-half spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Houston vs Oregon State Odds
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13.5 -110 | 47 -110o / -110u | -525 |
| Oregon State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13.5 -110 | 47 -110o / -110u | +390 |
- Houston vs Oregon State point spread: Houston -13.5
- Houston vs Oregon State over/under: 47 points
- Houston vs Oregon State moneyline: Houston -525, Oregon State +390
Houston vs Oregon State Preview
Houston Cougars Betting Preview: Strong Defense Highlights Early-Season Success
It’s been a pretty good start for Houston in 2025. The Cougars are 3-0 straight up and against the spread, with a victory over Colorado while holding the other two teams to nine combined points.
But there could be some trouble on the horizon, as Houston’s offensive line is dealing with a rash of injuries. Four of five starters sat out its last game against the Buffs – a problem that plagued quarterback Conner Weigman, who was pressured 17 times.
Left tackle David Ndukwe suffered a dislocated knee cap and is out for the season. However, the three other missing starters are back at practice after the bye and are expected to be a go. Keep an eye on the latest reports and snap counts, plus the potential for re-injury.
Weigman has largely kept the ball out of harm’s way and has avoided taking several sacks with excellent elusiveness in the backfield. But so far, he’s lived and died by the deep ball.
Shiel Wood or no Shiel Wood, Houston’s defense has been downright excellent through three games. Outside of a few explosive plays against Colorado, Houston hasn’t given much of anything up in any facet of the game.
Defensive lineman Khalil Laufau is turning in All-America numbers early, with six QB pressures and seven run stops. He grades out as the Big 12’s second-best among defensive tackles and inside the top 15 nationally (per PFF).
Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is having a true resurgence after being removed from a job at Florida that was likely too intense for the young coach.
Perhaps a more talented offense will come around and change the narrative, but that doesn’t appear to be likely in Week 5.
Oregon State Beavers Betting Preview: Bottoming Out in Corvallis
Despite a 5-7 record, it seemed as though Oregon State was bottoming out in 2024. And then 2025 began and the Beavers found a new meaning for “bottoming out.”
Oregon State is 0-4 straight up and ATS this season, failing to meet spread expectations by nearly a full touchdown so far this year.
Nothing is going right on offense or defense, and this team is a serious candidate for a midseason coaching change. Even the players appear to be frustrated with the coaching staff on the sidelines.
Three of the losses can be excused — Oregon and Texas Tech may be top-10 teams nationally and Cal surprised with its young quarterback in Week 1 — but a loss to Fresno State in Week 2 was downright embarrassing.
The Beavers’ two best weapons — running back Anthony Hankerson and receiver Trent Walker — are both inefficient and ineffective in a bad offensive system.
Nobody can get much going behind an offensive line dealing with reshuffling due to injury and performance.
Its best piece — guard Tyler Voltin — hasn’t played this year and four players have played multiple positions. It’s a unit with no consistency, no depth and one that's missing high-end talent.
Defensively, Oregon State has had no resistance for two years running — a significant issue for defensive coordinator-turned-head coach Trent Bray, who took back the defensive play calling this year.
The defense gives up a ton of yards on the ground and early in drives, setting the entire unit up for failure quickly.
It’s a dire situation in Corvallis and with so much change in the horizon — particularly, with the reconstruction of the Pac-12 — it’s not farfetched to believe Oregon State makes another change with it.
Houston vs Oregon State Pick, Betting Analysis
Spotting Houston 10.5 points on the road wasn’t enough in the eyes of early line movers. The Cougars jumped from -10.5 to -13.5 — and it's growing by Tuesday afternoon.
Oregon State comes in with a rest disadvantage after two physical blowouts. Although the Beavs hung with rival Oregon early, the team “let go of the rope,” according to Bray, and Oregon scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the second and third quarters to slam the door shut.
There’s no end in sight for Oregon State, either. Its first bye week doesn’t come until Week 9, the latest in the country. This is the middle of an absolute slog against an opponent that comes off an extra week of rest — home or not.
Willie Fritz is a coach with twice as many covers as not as a road favorite in his coaching career (14-7 ATS). He knows how to prepare a team to hit the road, and Houston is a squad very much in contention for a surprise season and a high bowl spot.
With some big games on the horizon (Texas Tech comes to Houston next week), expect Fritz to use this as a tune-up game and not allow for a lookahead spot.
It’s tough to identify the quit spot for a team (or whether or not a team will even quit), but with no reprieve in sight, a short week for Oregon State off a huge loss to a rival and the circumstances surrounding the Beavs, this game could get ugly quickly.
I anticipate Houston comes out of the gate hot — something the Cougs haven't done consistently and are likely to address during the bye — and clean up special teams gaffes.
Pick: Houston 1H -6.5
