Houston Cougars vs. Baylor Bears Free NCAAF Pick, 9–19–2020

Free NCAAF Pick by Ray Franklin of PrecisionPicks.com

Houston Cougars vs. Baylor Bears

Odds: Baylor -6.5
O/U: 59.5
Game Time: Saturday, September 19, 2020, 12:00 PM EST

The Houston Cougars take a trip North to Waco to kick off their college football season with the Baylor Bears. Most books list the Baylor Bears as -6.5 point home favorites with the Total hovering around 59.5/60 depending on the sportsbook.

Houston has room for improvement after a (4–8) campaign in 2019 which ended with a 56–41 loss to Navy on November 30th. Clayton Tune returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and largely due to a dynamic receiving duo. Marquez Stevenson and Jeremy Singleton combined for nearly 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead this offense which averaged 30 PPG. The Cougars struggled defensively last season allowing 34.0 PPG but they return Grant Stuard and David Anenih, two pillars of the defense. The Cougars were 5–5 ATS L10 while the Over cashed 6 out of the last 10 games.

The Baylor Bears return a team that won 11 games in 2019 but ended in a 26–14 Loss to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Baylor finished 2nd in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma but they return a number of playmakers including quarterback Charlie Brewer who threw for 3,161 yards and 21 touchdowns. Baylor plays an up-tempo offense with playmakers spread out across the field and will be one of the top offenses in the country. Baylor’s defense was solid last season and allowed only 19.3 PPG and totaled 17 takeaways. This unit lost some key players but Terrel Bernard is back after leading Baylor with 112 tackles. Baylor was 9–4 ATS last regular season with O/U going 6–7.

Once again the Bears will be competing for a Big 12 title with one of the most lethal offenses in college football. Houston should improve greatly from last season but it may be hard to keep up with Baylor in Week 1. Both teams can score and we should see some fireworks with explosive players in both offenses. I look towards the Total going Over 59.5 as Baylor replaces some key pieces in their defense. The Bears will have no problems scoring and we should see an entertaining matchup on Saturday.

Houston Cougars vs. Baylor Bears FREE NCAAF Pick — OVER 59.5