Two struggling Big 12 teams look to keep their postseason hopes alive when the Arizona Wildcats (3-6) host the Houston Cougars (4-5) tonight at 10:15 PM ET on FS1.

The Wildcats are 1.5 points ahead in our top sportsbooks despite losing five straight games as we offer our Houston vs. Arizona prediction for this Friday night matchup.

Meanwhile, the Cougars have won three of their last four games — including a win over College Football Playoff contender Kansas State last week — while holding four of their last five opponents to 20 or fewer points.

Our college football predictions for Week 12 assess whether Houston can shut down Noah Fifita and the struggling Wildcats this week.

The betting between Houston and Arizona will be split tonight

We saw almost split action in this game, with the Cougars taking 52% of the spread bets as the slight underdogs.

As a result, we’ve seen the line creep in their favor at some of our top sports betting sites, although you can still catch Houston +1.5 tonight if you like the value on the road ‘dog tonight ahead of kickoff.

Best choice between Houston and Arizona

College football picks based on odds from our top college football betting sites. Opportunities can change.

Houston vs. Arizona vs. Spread Prediction: Week 12

Houston to cover the spread: +1.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐

Opening odds Houston vs. Arizona:

• Houston: +2.5 (-115)
• Arizona: -2.5 (-105)

Both teams have struggled on the offensive side of the ball. The Cougars are averaging just 15.2 points per game this season, sixth-worst in the country. Meanwhile, the Wildcats aren’t much better, averaging just 22.1 points per game. And lately the Wildcats have been even worse, averaging just 15.0 points per game over the last three weeks.

This game will come down to defense, and the Cougars have a clear advantage on that side of the ball. They are allowing just 22.0 points per game this season while the Wildcats are allowing 33.8 points. The Cougars have scored 20 or fewer points in four of their last five, while the Wildcats have allowed at least 28 points in five straight games.

Despite the clear defensive advantage, this is still only a three-star play because the Cougars aren’t that good. They only scored more than twenty points three times all season and were eliminated twice.

With 52% of bets backing the Cougars, this spread is unlikely to move much further. Several sportsbooks have a spread of 1.5, with DraftKings offering the best price by a fairly wide margin.

Best odds: -110 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 52.38%

Best bet between Houston and Arizona

Our NEW college football betting tool can help you find the best odds on every market at legal sportsbooks in your area!

Noah Fifita Under 245.5 passing yards (-115) ⭐⭐⭐

Fifta has already passed for 2,234 yards this season, an average of 258.2 per game. He has thrown for at least 256 yards in four of five games during the current Wildcats’ losing streak. And yet he goes to the Under tonight.

The Cougars quietly have one of the best pass defenses in football as they are allowing just 185.7 yards per game this season. This isn’t a matchup-based defense either. They held Kansas State’s Avery Johnson to just 238 yards last week, and four games ago they held TCU’s Josh Hoover to just 233 yards. Hoover has 3,233 receiving yards this season.

The Wildcats have been a mess offensively as of late, and while Fifita will likely throw a lot in this game, this is the second-best pass defense he has faced this season.

This prop is only available on two of our top sports betting sites. With bet365 offering almost the same price for two yards over FanDuel, this is the best place to bet.

Best odds: -115 via bet365 | Implied probability: 53.49%

Odds between Houston and Arizona

See all this week’s college football odds and NCAAF results.

Game information Houston vs. Arizona

• When: Friday November 15
• Kick-off: 10:15 PM ET
• Where: Arizona Stadium (Tucson, Ariz.)
• How to watch: FS1
• Weather: 63 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, wind 6 mph NW
• Favorite: Arizona -1 (-110 via Caesars)

College football betting pages

(21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER)
*Bonuses not applicable in Ontario.

Not intended for use in MA.
Every betting site on SBR has been carefully researched and selected by our team of experts. If you sign up through our links, we may receive a commission

Related pages