Houston Cougars vs Texas Tech Red Raiders Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/18/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, September 18, 2026

Venue:  Galaxy Stadium, Lubbock, TX

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Houston +7.5, Texas Tech -7.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Houston +7.5, Texas Tech -7.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Houston +7.5, Texas Tech -7.5; Over/Under:  53.5 points

Houston Cougars:  2-0 (0-0) (2nd place, Big 12)

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  2-0 (0-0) (5th place, Big 12)

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Houston Cougars:  won their last game at home against the Southern Jaguars 77-6.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  won their last game on the road against the Oregon State Beavers 35-24.

Houston is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Southern 77-6. Conner Weigman was the starting QB and he completed 9/12 passes for 120 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Zane Smith led the team in rushing yards with 69. Koby Young led the receivers with 54 receiving yards on 3 receptions and 2 TDs. Kentrell Webb, Travis Buhake, Sione Fotu, Jalen Mayo, Ashton Porter, and Christian Brathwaite each led the defense in that game with 3 tackles while Jalen Mayo led the defense in sacks with 1. Jordan Allen came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

Texas Tech is entering this game with a 2-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too. They are 1-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against Oregon State 35-24. Will Hammond was the starting QB and he completed 20/27 passes for 189 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. J'Koby Williams led the team in rushing yards with 116 and 1 TD. Coy Eakin led the receivers with 79 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Ben Roberts led the defense in that game with 9 tackles while Ben Roberts and Anthony Holmes Jr. each led the defense in sacks with 1. Amier Boyd-Matthews came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Texas Tech listed as a 7.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Texas Tech has looked great in their games this season with their 2-0 record overall. They have looked good on their home field too with their 1-0 home record so far. Meanwhile, Houston has looked good in their games this season with their 2-0 record overall. They haven't played a road game yet this season though and will be playing their first road game of the year. They are coming off a 77-6 win over Southern in their last one and the offense got rolling in that one, but Southern is a team from the FCS and they haven't really challenged themselves in these first 2 games, beating Oregon State in week 1 too. Texas Tech is coming off a win over Oregon State themselves and they did have some trouble in that one, but that game was also on the road for them. Houston is getting their first road test of the year here and this isn't the best situation for that, playing against the defending Big 12 champion who is the favorite to win the conference once again. The QB position is a bit of a question mark for Texas Tech, downgrading from last year, but they still have one of the most talented rosters in the conference. This is a big game for both teams too with both being ranked inside the top 25, but Texas Tech will be looking to make a statement at home and show that they are still the team to beat in the Big 12. They have the more talented roster here and last season they were the best team in the Big 12 and it wasn't even close. Look for Texas Tech to roll at home and make a statement against another ranked team in the conference who is playing their 1st road game of the year. The best way to place a bet here is on Texas Tech to cover the spread in this game. 

Houston Texas Tech Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Friday, September 18, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Texas Tech 34 Houston 24.

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Houston Cougars: 9-17 1H ATS in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 21-37 1H ATS after a 2 game home stand. 28-13 OVER as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points. 33-23 OVER after allowing 14 points or less last game.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: 22-9 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points. 18-7 ATS against FBS division opponents. 15-3 ATS against conference opponents. 38-25 OVER as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 42-19 OVER off a road win.

Houston Cougars:  M. Tounkara (WR) Out - Foot. L. McGary (TE) Out - Shoulder.

Texas Tech Red Raiders:  T. White (LB) Questionable - Knee.

“I thought everybody ran hard. Good job by everybody in the run game. It’s hard to run it when they know you’re going to run it every down.” - Willie Fritz after his team’s win against Southern in their last game. 

“As frustrated as as I am at times, I’m not going to apologize for being 2-0.” - Joey McGuire after his team’s win against Oregon State in their last game.  

WR Young, Koby

WR Walker, Trent

WR Thomas, Amare

TE Overmyer, Patrick

QB Weigman, Conner

RB Hughes, Makhi

WR Johnson, Kenny

WR Hudson, Micah

WR Eakin, Coy

TE Carter Jr., Terrance

QB Hammond, Will

RB Dickey, Cameron

Passing: Conner Weigman (425)

Rushing: Makhi Hughes (142)

Receiving: Amare Thomas (162)

Touchdowns: Amare Thomas (2)

Passing: Will Hammond (487)

Rushing: J'Koby Williams (187)

Receiving: Kenny Johnson (117)

Touchdowns: J'Koby Williams (2)

Coaches:

Houston Cougars: Willie Fritz (3rd season)

Texas Tech Red Raiders: Joey McGuire (5th season)