Houston Cougars vs Auburn Tigers | Birmingham Bowl Game Preview

When: Tuesday, December 28th, 2021 at 12:00pm E.T.

Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL.

How: ESPN.

Spread: Tigers -2.

Total: 51.5.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Cougars Spotlight

The Houston Cougars couldn’t get the job done in the American Conference championship agains the Cincinnati Bearcats, failing to cover the 10.5-point spread in the process. On the road, the Cougar’s offense ranks 12th in points per game, 37th in pass yards, 49th in rush yards, and 18th in yards per play. Defensively on the road, the Cougars rank 14th in points allowed, 11th in pass yards allowed, 12th in rush yards allowed, and 21st in yards per play.

Tigers Spotlight

The Auburn Tigers dropped their fourth-straight game about a month ago to the Alabama Crimson Tide, but they played well only losing by two points as 20.5-point underdogs. At home, the Tiger’s offense ranks 50th in points per game, 77th in pass yards, 62nd in rush yards, and 46th in yards per play. Defensively at home, the Tigers rank 35th in points allowed, 57th in pass yards allowed, 35th in rush yards allowed, and 33rd in yards per play.

Final Say

Houston has gone 11-1 SU in their last 12 games, but December has not been kind to them where they’ve gone 0-6 ATS in their last six games, while they are 0-4 ATS in their last four bowl games. Auburn didn’t finish the season strong, but they come to play as favorites, going 8-2 SU in their last 10 games as favorites. They’ve also shined in December going 9-2 SU in their last 11 games. By those stats, Auburn takes their bowl games seriously, while they can dominate the teams they are better than. Purely from a competition standpoint, Auburn has been way more battle-tested than Houston, and you blend that in with Auburns December record, I like them to show up and be the more physical team in this one. Roll with the Tigers as small favorites.

Pick: Auburn Tigers -2