ESPN FPI predicts Houston football vs. Kansas winner
The Houston Cougars (2-4) have had a bye week to get right.
Coming off an impressive 30-19 victory on the road at TCU, the Cougars had an off week to reset, rest and get healthy. They are looking for their second consecutive victory on Saturday when they face Kansas (1-5) in a Big 12 football matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.
Zeon Chriss will start at quarterback for the Cougars, bringing a dual-threat element that could present problems for the Jayhawks' defense.
Chriss and the Cougars have much to prove, though. Houston enters the game as 5.5-point underdogs, according to the oddsmakers.
FPI Predictions for Houston
ESPN's updated Football Power Index (FPI), which is "meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season" does not like Houston's chances at Kansas. The ESPN FPI gives Houston a 24.7% chance to beat Kansas.
In fact, the FPI does not think Houston will win another game this season. Here's a look at how the FPI predicts the remainder of the Cougars' games:
- at Kansas - 24.7% chance to win
- vs. Utah - 33.6%
- vs. Kansas State - 19.3%
- at Arizona - 28.8%
- vs. Baylor - 42.6%
- at BYU - 15.6%
Houston looked good in the one game Chriss started. We'll see if they can defy the oddsmakers and algorithms on Saturday afternoon.
More Houston & Big 12 analysis
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.