It’s Week 9 of the 2023 college football season, and the Sam Houston Bearkats are still looking for their first win as an FBS program. Will they find it when the 2-6 UTEP Miners head to Huntsville on Wednesday night?
Ahead of the game, we’ve got the latest college football betting odds, DFS picks, and a Sam Houston vs. UTEP prediction.
Sam Houston vs. UTEP Betting and DFS Preview
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and correct as of Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. Want to take advantage of the Sam Houston vs. UTEP odds? Visit the College Football Network live college football odds page to place bets in your state.
- Spread
Sam Houston -3.5 - Moneyline
Sam Houston -175, UTEP +145 - Over/Under
36 points - Game time
8:00 p.m. ET - Location
Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX - Predicted Weather at Kick
75 degrees, 11-13 mph winds, cloudy - How to Watch
ESPN2, FuboTV
Considering backing the Bearkats? Looking to make some money on the Miners? If you’re going to take advantage of the Sam Houston vs. UTEP odds, consider some of the following factors before you part with your hard-earned cash.
For the second consecutive week, KC Keeler’s Sam Houston team come into a game as the favorite. That didn’t work out too well for them last time out, losing an overtime heartbreaker to FIU. UTEP took care of the Golden Panthers the week before that, with the laws of transitive property suggesting that the Miners should be not only the favorite, but confident of the win.
In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend.
As our Sam Houston vs. UTEP prediction suggests, there’s reason to believe that the Bearkats can break their barren spell on Wednesday night — albeit in a close game that could go either way. As such, taking UTEP against the spread will be a nice cover-off if it remains as just over a field goal in favor of the Bearkats.
The over/under line is one of the lowest you’ll see all fall, which is indicative of some of the offensive shortcomings for the two teams. Between them, they’ve come under the line in 10 of 15 combined games this season, and with questions on both sides coming into the game, there’s a strong possibility that we’ll see another low-scoring affair on Wednesday night.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
Sam Houston Depth Chart | UTEP Depth Chart
- QB Keegan Shoemaker, Sam Houston ($10,200)
- QB Cade McConnell, UTEP ($8.400)
- QB Gavin Hardison, UTEP ($8,400)
- RB Deion Hankins, UTEP ($8,200)
- RB Torrance Burgess Jr., UTEP ($7,600)
- RB John Gentry, Sam Houston ($7,400)
- RB Adrian Murdaugh, Sam Houston ($5,200)
- RB Tobias Weaver, Sam Houston ($5,100)
- RB Zach Hrbacek, Sam Houston ($5,000)
- WR Noah Smith, Sam Houston ($9,600)
- WR Kelly Akharaiyi, UTEP ($8,800)
- WR Malik Phillips, Sam Houston ($7,700)
- WR Tyrin Smith, UTEP ($7,000)
- WR Jeremiah Ballard, UTEP ($6,900)
- WR Al’Vonte Woodard, Sam Houston ($6,800)
- TE Elijah Sohn, Sam Houston ($5,700)
- TE Zach Fryar, UTEP ($5,400)
- QB/TE Trapper Pannell, Sam Houston ($5,000)
There are two college football games on Wednesday to compile your DFS team from in Week 9. If you’re new to DFS, Fanduel Superflex contests require you to select a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a “superflex” that can be any of the above. Or you can also select a tight end for the Superflex spot.
The Wednesday night slate is rough for DFS purposes, and you’re likely not considering starting too many of these players in your standard college fantasy football leagues. At the time of writing, it was unclear whether Gavin Hardison or Cade McConnell would start at QB for UTEP, ensuring that your Sam Houston vs. UTEP picks should avoid either.
Bearkats quarterback Keegan Shoemaker has been steadily getting better as the season progresses and has thrown two touchdowns and over 250 yards in each of the last four games for Sam Houston. With FIU quarterback Keyone Jenkins facing a difficult matchup in the other game on the slate, Shoemaker might be a legitimate option at quarterback.
Noah Smith has emerged as the main offensive weapon for the Bearkats, with the WR having run-game ability in his armory. As such, he’s the fifth-ranked fantasy receiver in CUSA and should take one of your three WR spots. Torrance Burgess Jr. is another skill position player to consider due to the UTEP back’s receiving prowess alongside the Miners’ ground game identity.
Prediction for Sam Houston vs. UTEP
Okay, so we’ve furnished you with the Sam Houston vs. UTEP odds and some DFS picks. Now, it’s time to close this thing out with our prediction.
Which Miners team will make its way to Huntsville, the one who beat FIU or the one outmatched by New Mexico State? The bigger question is, can Sam Houston actually get across the line and win their first FBS game on Wednesday?
While there is uncertainty over the quarterback position for UTEP, the Miners’ desire to run the ball with Hankins and Burgess is clear, with the third most rushing attempts in the conference.
Yet, they’ve not done a great job of doing so this fall, averaging just 3.95 yards per carry and finding the end zone only nine times — the third-fewest rushing touchdowns in CUSA.
While they’ve struggled offensively, averaging just 16.4 points per game, the Miners boast a defense capable of causing pressure. Tyrice Knight, Maurice Westmoreland, Praise Amaewhule, and Kanious Vaughn all have multiple sacks, and they can make life very difficult for Shoemaker and the Sam Houston offense — a unit averaging just 13.4 points a game.
That offense gets a boost with running back John Gentry expected to handle a full load this week, and he faces a UTEP defense allowing a CUSA-high 5.15 yards per carry. No team in the conference has allowed more than the 18 rushing scores given up by the Miners.
Meanwhile, the Bearkats defense has been capable of making some big plays, especially early in the season when they held BYU and Air Force to a combined 27 points, and they’re averaging fewer points per game allowed than UTEP.
It should be a tight game, and when that happens, the turnover margin is crucial. Sam Houston hold the aces here, with UTEP having a CUSA-low -6 margin — mainly due to their eight interceptions thrown. It likely won’t be pretty, but the Bearkats bag their first win of the 2023 college football season.
Prediction: Sam Houston 17, UTEP 14