Houston vs. Tulsa: Latest Spread Info, BCS Impact and Predictions

Case Keenum and No. 8 Houston are one game away from capping off an undefeated season. Keenum is right in the thick of the Heisman race, and the Cougars have a solid shot at making a BCS game.

That all flies out the window if they finish their magical season with a crippling loss, like the one Oklahoma State suffered against Iowa State.

Tulsa is at home, and Houston should be highly concerned with the matchup lying ahead. Tulsa may have three losses, but all of them came against teams who were ranked in the top 10, and they are a perfect 7-0 against Conference USA opponents this season.

Let's take a closer look to see how this collision between Conference USA juggernauts will shake out.

Where: Chapman Stadium (Tulsa, OK)

When: Friday, November 25th at 12 p.m. EST

Watch: FSN

Spread

Houston -3, according to SportsBook

Go with Houston here. This is the ultimate trap game for the Cougars, but their high-octane offense remains No. 1 in the country and will be too much for Tulsa's defense, which allows 25.7 PPG, to handle.

Over/Under

75, according to SportsBook

Take the over. Last week, Houston didn't put up the insane amount of points we are accustomed to seeing, but Tulsa's pedestrian middle-of-the-road defense is going to be on their heels.

They've scored 56 points by themselves in six of their last eight games, and since Tulsa isn't going to lie down and take the punishment, you can expect both teams to put up monster points in a shootout.

Key Injuries (According to USA Today)

Houston: No Injuries to report

Tulsa:

John Flanders, DB, (Academics) Out for Season
Damaris Johnson, WR, (Academics) Out for Season
Darrell Zellard, DT, (Academics) Out for Season

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

This is the toughest opponent Houston has seen this season. People point to UCLA as their most established opponent, but the Cougars haven't seen anything like Tulsa yet, and a loss would be devastating with a BCS game so attainable.

A win over a team like Tulsa would allow them to ascend even further up the rankings. With Oklahoma State and Oklahoma squaring off and Arkansas and LSU going at it, we're going to see at least two teams ranked higher than Houston fall.

If this weekend is anything like last weekend, even more elite teams will suffer a late loss, allowing Houston to sneak by amidst the BCS chaos.

Keys to Houston Win

Be aggressive early. Keenum and the passing offense put up video game numbers virtually every week, but if they are able to deliver a knockout punch to Tulsa early on, it's going to ignite their offense and allow them to roll from the start of the game, unlike last week against SMU.

Give Keenum an opportunity to win the Heisman. Last week, he threw the ball 45 times. He needs to see at least that many attempts this week to give his team the best chance at winning. He's got a chance to make a statement in this game, and with Kellen Moore, Andrew Luck and Brandon Weeden all suffering a huge blow to their Heisman campaign in recent weeks, Keenum could shock the world and steal the award.

Keys to Tulsa Win

Take away the short throw. Keenum gets knocked for being a system quarterback, but that's just the negative connotation critics shell out because of the ridiculous 73.4 percent completion rate he has racked up despite throwing the ball 421 times.

Houston has mastered the art of stretching the field horizontally. If Tulsa can take away the short throw and force Keenum to launch the ball down field, they stand a chance at keeping Keenum and the Cougars below 50.

They are going to get burned, as Keenum's deep accuracy is grossly underrated, but at least they avoid being picked apart.

Prediction

Houston 54, Tulsa 48