The Tulane Green Wave will host the Houston Cougars on Friday night, and the home team is a big underdog here in this one. Tulane has been blown out by Duke, Georgia Tech and Temple, and they will likely have their hands full facing a Houston team that averages just short of 50 points per game. My money is on a high scoring game in New Orleans.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Tulane Defense - The Green Wave have allowed opponents to average 38 points while gaining an average of 420 yards per game so far. They haven't yet faced a team that can pile on the points like Houston.

2. Previous History - This is a revenge spot for the Cougars, who lost 31-24 at home to Tulane last season. They had out-scored the Green Wave 113-34 while winning the previous two meetings, and they've gone over the total at a rate of 5-1-1 in their last seven overall.

3. X-Factor - The over is 5-1 in Green Wave last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Selection: This is a play on Houston@Tulane to go OVER the total (10*)