The Sam Houston Bearkats take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Ruston, Louisiana. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Louisiana Tech is favored by -17 points on the spread with a moneyline of -800. The total is set at 49 points.
Here’s my Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech prediction and college football picks for Friday, October 31.
Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech Prediction, Picks
- Sam Houston vs. Louisiana Tech Pick: Louisiana Tech Team Total Under 33.5
My Louisiana Tech vs. Sam Houston best bet is on the Bulldogs to go under their team total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech Odds, Lines, Spread
| Sam Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16.5 -102 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | +575 |
| LA Tech Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16.5 -118 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | -800 |
- Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech Spread: Louisiana Tech -16.5, Sam Houston +16.5
- Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech Over/Under: 48.5 Points
- Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech Moneyline: Sam Houston ML +575, Louisiana Tech ML -800
Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech College Football Betting Preview
Sam Houston Bearkats Betting Preview: Looking For a Win
Officially eliminated from bowl contention, Sam Houston's primary focus in Year 1 under Phil Longo shifts to just finding a win.
The Bearkats' -21.9 average scoring margin hasn't been skewed by one lopsided result.
Rather, this is a team that consistently fails to contend with its opponents, save for a 29-27 loss to Jacksonville State, which featured a one-yard scoring drive and saw Sam Houston out-gained 499-286.
Every other result featured SHSU losing by 17 or more.
Bringing Longo in to succeed KC Keeler was supposed to be a zag to inject life into the offense through the Air Raid, even if it meant sacrificing a stout defense.
The defense was sacrificed (the Bearkats allow a 46.3% Success Rate, 130th in the country), but the offense is still inefficient (132nd in EPA per play).
The offensive line is below average, and there aren't the weapons around it to offset the shortcomings. Quarterback Hunter Watson is worse in this offense than in the previous one. His receiving options are unavailable, ineffective, or both.
The run game doesn't offer any pop, either.
Transfer Alton McCaskill, who rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as a freshman at Houston, hasn't been the same since his 2022 injury, and he's struggled with injury this year, too. Watson leads the team with 274 rushing yards and a pair of scores.
Sam Houston's defense doesn't provide much pushback, and some of the results should have been worse than they were. Poor coaching decisions and opponents shooting themselves in the foot kept some games in reason.
Against UTEP, the Miners muffed a punt that should have led to a field goal (SHSU shanked it) and later on turned the ball over on downs for a short SHSU touchdown drive. Previously, Jax State fumbled the ball at its own 1-yard line, leading to a Bearkat touchdown.
A combination of average coverage, a below-average pass rush, and poor tackling puts Sam Houston near the bottom of the FBS in explosive plays allowed.
Back-to-back road games at Louisiana Tech and Oregon State don't provide much optimism for that win opportunity. But between Delaware, Middle Tennessee, and FIU, Sam Houston should be able to manage at least one.
At least, in theory.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Betting Preview: No QB, Big Problem
The preseason Conference USA contender stumbled out of the gate for a 2-2 league start.
Louisiana Tech played just one football game over 23 days –shockingly losing that game, 35-7, at Kennesaw State – before dropping a thriller to Western Kentucky in overtime.
Tech's defensive prowess is there, as expected. Its run defense is one of the best in CUSA despite losing a hot-shot coordinator in Jeremiah Johnson.
The second level really helps clean up, particularly dynamite linebacker Sifa Leota (pencil him in as all-conference) and do-it-all safety Michael Richard. Having sound tackling and aggressive linebackers and safeties is a valuable asset and a rarity in CUSA.
Before the season started, Tech's defense was praised for its defensive backs over its linebacking corps. But through nine weeks of play, it's the latter that's stepping up while the former has fallen flat.
Against non-power conference opponents, Tech has allowed five touchdown passes of 30-plus yards and seven fewer than, all of which came in the last two games (about a 42% rate of long touchdowns).
But the defense hasn't been able to overcome a mess of a quarterback room.
Junior Trey Kukuk began the year as a starter but lasted less than two games before giving way to 6-foot-5 sophomore Blake Baker.
Baker's been the most consistent of the group, throwing for 340 yards against WKU, but he missed the Kennesaw State game due to injury. Evan Bullock took the reins for that game, which was a disaster.
Baker has taken 250% more sacks (10) than he's thrown touchdowns (four), and though Louisiana Tech is 3-1 under his direction, offensive results are middling.
Though the run game is multiple, Clay Thevenin recently took over as the top running back from Omiri Wiggins — an underwhelming push up front keeps the run game more or less in check.
After missing a pair of field goals last week, starting kicker Drew Henderson (4-for-5) is expected back.
The good news for the Bulldogs is they should be favored in at least three of their final five games. The bad news is, Sam Houston comes off a bye and then Tech hits the road for three of its final four with no rest in between (and a stretch from Delaware to Pullman, Washington!).
Sam Houston vs Louisiana Tech NCAAF Pick to Bet
Sam Houston opened as a 17.5-point underdog in a game with just a 49.5-point total. That number moved to 16.5 by midweek.
Louisiana Tech is a classic case of a team that wants to run with pace but is wildly inefficient, leading to more plays run with less efficiency. It's a compounding problem without an immediate apparent fix.
In the past three games, Tech ran 95 plays for 27 points (20 in regulation), 75 plays for seven points, and 67 plays for 16 points (14 more came on defense).
Perhaps Sam Houston's defense is the fix for this inefficiency. But without a real answer at quarterback, I'm not betting on that being the case.
The Bulldogs' 33 projected points would be their second-highest total on the year, save for a 49-point outing against New Mexico State. This offense needs to shake off cobwebs.
Sam Houston runs a middle-of-the-road pace on offense, as well.
A low total in this game leaves little wiggle room for Tech to reach it. Inefficiencies on offense and missed opportunities have been abundant lately, and I'm looking to bet against Tech running a perfect game here.
Pick: Louisiana Tech Team Total Under 33.5
