Up until recently, both Sam Houston and Oregon State were winless.
Oregon State lost seven straight to open the season, which led to the firing of head coach Trent Bray. But the Beavers have at least managed to win their last two contests.
They snapped their losing streak with a 45-13 victory over FCS Lafayette then went ahead and pulled off a 10-7 victory over fellow Pac-12 team Washington State.
Sam Houston (0-8, 0-5 Conference USA) is still searching for that first win of the Phil Longo era. The Bearkats haven’t been competitive for most of the season, either. They’ve played in just one game – a 29-27 loss against Jacksonville State – that wasn’t decided by 17 points or less.
Will the Bearkats turn things around against the Beavers?
Sam Houston vs. Oregon State Betting Odds
Sam Houston is a 20.5-point college football betting odds underdog against Oregon State, with the Over/Under being 52.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Sam Houston is +800, while it’s -1400 for Oregon State.
Sam Houston vs. Oregon State On TV
The matchup between Sam Houston and Oregon State will be televised on the CW Network. The game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 8. The contest is taking place at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.
Sam Houston vs. Oregon State Prediction
I predict Oregon State will win but Sam Houston will cover the 20.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 52.5 total points.
It’s difficult to find a bright spot for this Sam Houston team. The Bearkats have averaged 16.9 points per game, which is 129th in the FBS, and are 136th in the country in scoring defense while allowing 40.9 points per contest.
The Beavers haven’t exactly been much better. They’re 118th in the nation in scoring offense (20.1 points per game) and 106th in scoring defense (29.9 PPG allowed).
But they’re playing with a newfound energy since their coaching change, and I think that momentum continues in this matchup.
I expect Anthony Hankerson to carry Oregon State to a win here. He rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown against Washington State a week ago, and he leads the Beavers with 803 yards and seven scores on the season.
But the thing is that Sam Houston hasn’t allowed as many games to become true blowouts as one would think. In the Bearkats’ eight losses, only three have been decided by 20 or more points, and one of those was at Texas.
So while I do believe Oregon State will be in control for most of this game, I don’t expect Sam Houston will fall by 21 or more points.
