The Week 8 College Football Saturday slate is in full swing, with the season well underway. It is another loaded week of action with the picture of the season beginning to be fully painted. Kicking off in the noon ET window, the Houston Cougars will host the Arizona Wildcats in a Big 12 conference matchup.
These two programs have faced off five times in history and three times since 2017. Houston has won three of the five matchups overall and twice since 2017. Arizona got the upper hand in the most recent matchup, winning 27-3 in 2024.
Looking at the odds for this year’s matchup, Arizona enters as narrow 1.5-point favorites and holds -108 odds on winning on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. Houston holds -108 odds of getting the outright win, with the game total set at 45.5 points for the matchup.
This article provides a preview of both teams and offers a pick for the Week 8 matchup.
Arizona vs. Houston prediction, preview
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona is off to a 4-2 start to the season with victories over Hawaii, Weber State, Kansas State, and Oklahoma State. They have suffered losses to Iowa State and BYU, both ranked opponents, with the most recent loss to BYU coming in double overtime. The Wildcats are also 4-2 against the spread this year.
Noah Fifita stands in at quarterback for Arizona and has completed 62.7% of his pass attempts for 1,560 yards, 15 touchdowns, and four interceptions while adding three scores with his legs. Javin Whatley leads the team in receiving with 328 yards and three scores this year. Kris Hutson, Chris Hunter, and Luke Wysong each also have 229+ receiving yards and a combined five touchdowns. Ismail Mahdi is Arizona’s leading rusher with 403 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. Quincy Craig and Kedrick Reescano have combined for 352 rushing yards and three combined touchdowns. Arizona is averaging 32.2 points per game, which ranks 49th in the country, and 422.2 total yards of offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona is allowing 18.5 points per game, which ranks 27th, and is limiting opponents to 275.7 total yards of offense. They are allowing just 151.3 passing yards and 0.2 passing touchdowns per game. The Wildcats have held opponents to 17 points or fewer in each of their victories, although Iowa State and BYU combined for 72 points in their pair of losses. Dalton Johnson leads the team with 41 tackles, and Riley Wilson headlines the pass rush production with three sacks on the year. Arizona has tallied 14 total sacks and forced 13 turnovers thus far.
Houston Cougars
Houston enters this Week 8 matchup after getting off to a 5-1 start to the season. They have picked up victories over Stephen F. Austin, Rice, Colorado, Oregon State, and Oklahoma State. The Cougars’ lone loss came against Texas Tech by a score of 35-11. Houston is also 4-2 against the spread on the year.
Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman stands in at quarterback and has had a strong start to the year. He has completed 61.5% of his pass attempts for 1,216 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding 145 rushing yards and five scores with his legs. Amare Thomas is the team’s leading receiver with 441 yards and two touchdowns. Tanner Koziol and Stephon Johnson Jr. have also added a pair of receiving touchdowns and combined for 585 yards through the air. Dean Connors leads the team in rushing with 438 yards on the ground and four scores. The Cougars are averaging 292 points per game, which ranks 65th, and 378.2 total yards of offense.
Defensively, Houston is allowing just 17.5 points per game. This ranks 23rd in the country in scoring defense, and they are giving up 306.5 total yards of offense. The 35 points that Texas Tech put up in their lone loss were the only time Houston has allowed more than 24 points in a game. Jalen Garner leads the team with 42 tackles, and Corey Platt Jr. has a team-high 2.5 sacks. Houston has tallied 13.0 total sacks and forced eight turnovers on the season.
Arizona vs. Houston pick, best bet
Both these teams should feel really solid about their start to the season, and this will be an interesting measuring stick matchup for both sides. Arizona has exceeded early expectations with its defense performing better than anticipated. But this will also mark just their second away game of the season, with the first being the 39-14 loss to Iowa State.
Houston is more battle-tested and has a defense that has delivered to this point. Conner Weigman has taken some significant strides from the start of the season and has the arm talent to make big throws. Houston has won their last four home games dating back to last season, and this week will be their homecoming matchup.
Expect Weigman to win the quarterback matchup with Noah Fifita and for the Houston defense to get the upper hand as well. Arizona will put up a fight, but there is a clearer sample size for what this Houston team is. Arizona has lost both matchups to high-level opponents, with none of their four victories coming against a team of the caliber of Houston. The results are still the results, but it has felt like Arizona has played a bit above its head and benefited from a friendly schedule. Expect the rowdy crowd to be backing the home squad and for Weigman to lead the team to a level of scoring production that Arizona cannot match. Look for Houston to move to 6-1 on the season and pick up their third conference victory. Rather than risk the additional point, I am laying the Moneyline in this game. Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez is tied for second among FBS kickers for made field goals with 14 on the season, and don’t get caught if the scoring ends up a one-point margin.
