It’s not a bad time to be either team, but for vastly different reasons.
Sam Houston has stepped up in its second season in the FBS with a strong 4-1 start including a stunning win over Texas State.
All of a sudden, the high-powered Bearkats look like a factor in the Conference USA race, especially with WKU and Liberty coming to Huntsville.
UTEP Is 0-4 to start the Scott Walden era, but it’s stepping up its level as a new member of the Mountain West starting in 2026. It lost to Southern Utah, but the other three defeats - Nebraska, Liberty, and Colorado State were all on the road.
Sep 7, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Sam Houston State Bearkats quarterback Hunter Watson (10) warms up before the game against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium.
© Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Sam Houston vs UTEP Preview
Sam Houston vs UTEP How to Watch
Date: Thursday, October 3, 2024
Game Time: 9:00 pm ET
Venue: Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
UTEP (0-4), Sam Houston (4-1)
- Week 6 Schedule, Predictions
- 5 Biggest College Football Surprises
- 5 Biggest Disappointments
- Bowl Projections | CFN 1-134 Rankings
- College Football Playoff Projections: Week 6
Predicting the Rest of the Season
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC
Why Sam Houston Will Win
Control. It all starts with Sam Houston’s style that doesn’t necessarily slow things down, but manages the tempo - the team has the ball for over 33 minutes per game.
There’s a good balance, but the ground game has taken over with 257 yards or more over the last three games with a great mix of options around QB Hunter Watson.
UTEP has one of the nation’s worst run defenses, is struggling to score, has issues on the offensive line, and only holds the ball for 26:30 a game. But …
Why UTEP Will Win
Yeah, the Southern Utah home loss hurt, but again, the schedule hasn’t been favorable so far - the other three losses were expected.
The offense doesn’t really care about controlling anything - it wants to keep defenses on their heels. There’s just enough of a passing game to press the Bearkat secondary that got roasted by Texas State and should give up at least 250 yards.
UTEP might stall a bit too much, but it’ll keep on pressing.
Sam Houston vs UTEP: Who Will Win
UTEP will come up with one of its better offensive performances at home on a Thursday night, but coming up with yards hasn’t been a problem.
The offense can’t close, the pass protection isn’t there, and the mistakes will come as it presses too hard. Sam Houston won’t put this away fast, but it’ll start pulling away in the second half with a a few pounding scoring drives. The O will run for over 250 yards.
Sam Houston vs UTEP Prediction, Betting Lines
Sam Houston 30, UTEP 17
Line: Sam Houston -10, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Sam Houston vs UTEP Must See Rating: 2
Week 6 CFN Expert Picks
Houston at TCU | Michigan St at Oregon
Syracuse at UNLV | UCLA at Penn State
Missouri at Texas A&M | SMU at Louisville
Iowa at Ohio State | Auburn at Georgia
Ole Miss at So Carolina | Rutgers at Neb
Clemson at Florida St | Tenn at Arkansas
Michigan at Washington | Miami at Cal
Texas Tech at Arizona
