Houston at Oklahoma 9/1/19 - College Football Picks & Predictions

On Sunday, September 1 the Houston Cougars visit Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma to play the No. 4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the college football season opener for both.

Houston was 8-5 in 2018. Houston opens the season under new head coach Dana Holgorsen. D’Eriq King returns at the Cougars starting quarterback. Houston has its top wide receiver in Marquez Stevenson returning while its running game will be led by Patrick Carr. The offensive line has three starters returning and talented newcomers. The defense lost five starters and several top tacklers. The line could be suspect while the linebacker corps is inexperienced and the secondary will be strong at safety by weak at the corners.

Oklahoma was 12-2 in 2018. The Sooners lost eight starters and their Heisman Trophy quarterback, but the talent is there to win often in 2019. Jalen Hurts takes over at quarterback and the former Alabama QB is loaded with talent and confidence. Lee Morris will be the top wide receiver target for Hurts while Grant Calcaterra is a top tight end. Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon lead a talented running attack. The offensive line lost four of five starters. The defense will show much improvement over last year, but then again last year’s defense was atrocious.

D’Erig King threw for 2,982 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions for Houston last season. Patrick Carr returns at running back and last season rushed for 868 yards and five touchdowns. The top returning wide receiver is Marquez Stephenson who last season had 1,019 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.

Jalen Hurts takes the reins as the starting quarterback for Oklahoma. Hurts played at Alabama for three seasons. The top running back returning for the Sooners is Kennedy Brooks who rushed for 1,056 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Lee Morris caught 21 passes for 457 yards and eight touchdowns in 2018 for Oklahoma.