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Houston Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. South Florida in Week 9

By Zach Bigalke

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 28: Quarterback D'Eriq King #4 of the Houston Cougars is sacked by defensive end Josh Black #55 of the South Florida Bulls during the first quarter of an NCAA football game on October 28, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 28: Quarterback D'Eriq King #4 of the Houston Cougars is sacked by defensive end Josh Black #55 of the South Florida Bulls during the first quarter of an NCAA football game on October 28, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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One of the best games of the week will take place in the AAC. Here’s how to watch the showdown between Houston football and South Florida.

While much of the country will choose to focus on the trio of contests featuring a pair of ranked opponents against one another, the best game of the weekend might very well take place between two Group of Five contestants. South Florida, currently No. 21 in the AP Top 25, is one of just five unbeaten teams remaining in the FBS this season. The Bulls take on one-loss Houston to see which remains a potential New Year’s Six challenger this season.

Charlie Strong’s Bulls are the weakest of the remaining undefeated teams in the country. South Florida has a solid offense led by quarterback Blake Barnett and running back Jordan Cronkrite. But the defense ranks 88th in yards allowed and gives up an average of nearly 26 points per game, putting them at 63rd in the FBS in scoring defense.

USF faces a Houston team that has dominated everyone except Texas Tech, and even then they scored 49 points on the Red Raiders. The Cougars are the favorite to emerge out of the AAC West this year, thanks to a stout defense and a solid offense.

D’Eriq King has been one of the top quarterbacks in the country, as he ranks sixth overall nationally in passing efficiency and fifth in passing touchdowns. Only Alabama averages more points than the 48.7 per game posted by the Cougars. And Major Applewhite’s squad also sits third in total yards gained.

The winner of this showdown will almost certainly land a spot in this year’s first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings. Here’s how you can watch the Saturday showdown between Houston and No. 21 South Florida:

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Date: Saturday, Oct. 27
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Houston, Texas
Venue: TDECU Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Houston has been a great team defensively in 2018. Where they have struggled, though, is in keeping teams from moving the chains. In terms of both first downs allowed and third-down conversion rate, Houston’s defense ranks outside the top 100 nationally. They need to keep the Bulls from engineering long drives if they hope to emerge victorious on their home turf.

In order to pull off the upset on the road and remain undefeated, South Florida needs to stay more disciplined than they have been so far this season. The Bulls rank in triple digits in both flags suffered and penalty yards lost. To have any hope against a strong Cougars squad, USF cannot beat themselves by giving away yardage.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com

Point Spread: Houston -7
Over/Under: 74.5

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Prediction

The oddsmakers have installed Houston as a one-touchdown favorite, but this game could come down to the wire. We could be in for a contest similar to last year’s War on I-4, when USF and UCF played an instant classic. This time around, South Florida is going to play their best game of the year. But the Cougars will ultimately prevail in overtime to deal the Bulls their first loss of 2018.

Final Score: Houston 48, South Florida 45 (OT)

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