Connecticut Huskies vs. Houston Cougars Betting Odds, College Football Pick

The Houston Cougars are a perfect 9-0 straight up at home under head coach Tom Herman but only 4-4-1 against the spread in part because they've faced some large spreads. They'll do so again when they welcome the Connecticut Huskies down to TDECU Stadium for a revenge match Thursday night.

Point spread: The Cougars opened as 24.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 29.1-8.6 Cougars (college football picks on every game)

Why the Connecticut Huskies can cover the spread

Following four close games, UConn is 2-2 on the season and coming off a 31-24 loss to Syracuse last week. The Huskies fell down to the Orange 14-0 less than five minutes into the game, then battled back to forge a 14-14 tie just before halftime.

But on probably the key sequence of the game, down by seven with just over six minutes to go, Connecticut came up short on 4th-and-goal from the Syracuse 2-yard line, then gave up a 99-yard touchdown drive. The Huskies scored late to pull within one score but couldn't come up with an onside kick.

On the day, UConn outrushed the Orange 144-62 and won time of possession by a lopsided 38-22 margin. Unfortunately, the Huskies also committed the only turnover of the game, a Bryant Shirreffs interception that went the other way for seven Syracuse points.

Not many people outside of East Hartford or Houston remember, but UConn did something last season nobody else did as it upset the Cougars 20-17. Do the Huskies have another shocker in them?

Why the Houston Cougars can cover the spread

Houston is 4-0 SU and 3-0-1 ATS on the season after blowing out Texas State last week, 64-3. The Cougars drove to a touchdown on the game's opening possession, and as 31-point favorites had the spread covered by halftime. Houston rested starters in the second half, or else things could have really gotten ugly.

On the evening, the Cougars outgained the Bobcats 563-142, piling up a 32-8 advantage in first downs.

Houston opened this season with that upset over Oklahoma, and two weeks ago exploded in the fourth quarter to win at Cincinnati 40-16, covering as an eight-point road favorite. The only game the Cougars haven't covered this season came in Week 2 when they eased past Lamar 42-0 as 42-point favorites.

Smart pick

Revenge can be overrated as a handicapping tool, but Houston might have a cold dish in store for Connecticut, considering the Huskies kept them from making a claim on a College Football Playoff berth last year. Also, quarterback Greg Ward missed almost that whole game with an injury. The Cougars just covered 31 points and could have covered 42 a few weeks ago, so this spread is well within their ballpark.

Betting trends

Houston is 10-0 SU in its last 10 games at home.

The total has gone under in eight of Connecticut's last 10 games.

Connecticut is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games on Thursday.

All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.