UTEP vs. Sam Houston State Wednesday college football odds, trends: Bearkats only remaining winless FBS team

Sam Houston State was a powerhouse at the FCS level in college football, but the program's first season in the FBS as a Conference USA member has not gone as hoped. The Bearkats are the only team at the FBS level without a victory this season at 0-7, but their best chance yet comes on Wednesday against visiting UTEP (2-6), which is a 3-point underdog on the SportsLine consensus.

Sam Houston, coached by K.C. Keeler, could easily have at least three wins as it plays a fifth straight weeknight game – Conference USA signed off on that this season for all of its teams to increase exposure.

The Bearkats led a good Jacksonville State team also in its first year of FBS football by eight points with about a minute left in regulation on Sept. 28 but lost in overtime. On Oct. 5, Sam Houston State pushed an excellent Liberty team to the limit in a 21-16 loss. And last Wednesday, it led 20-17 against Florida International in the final seconds but allowed the tying field goal and lost 33-27 in double OT.

The Kats have led or been within one score of their opponent in the fourth quarter in five of their seven games. After scoring just 10 total points in the first three games of the year, SHSU is averaging 21.0 points per game since entering CUSA play. The program's last win over an FBS opponent came in 2011 when it upset New Mexico in Albuquerque en route to a 14-1 season and a berth in the first of three FCS Championship Games. 

No FBS program has finished winless since a handful of them did so during the unusual COVID 2020 campaign. 

While Sam Houston State is a solid 3-3-1 against the spread this year, UTEP is 1-6 ATS vs. FBS opponents, tied for the fourth-worst ATS mark with only Temple (0-7), Southern Miss (0-6) and Illinois (1-7) worse. Former fourth-string QB Cade McConnell has started the past two for the Miners due to injuries, and it's not year clear who might start Wednesday with usual starter Gavin Hardison missing the past three. It's the first time since 2018 that UTEP has used three different QBs.

The Miners have a solid defense with ends Praise Amaewhule and Kanious Vaughn tied for first in CUSA with 5.0 sacks each. UTEP ranks second in Conference USA and is tied 12th in the FBS with 21 team sacks. Linebacker Tyrice Knight leads the nation in solo tackles (58) and solo tackles per game (7.2) and is ranked second in the FBS with 90 total tackles and No. 6 at 11.2 tackles per game. Offensively, Deion Hankins ranks third in Conference USA with a team-best 562 rushing yards.

UTEP is 2-0 all-time in this series, but they haven't played in many years.

Every school in the nation now has at least one ATS win – Vanderbilt didn't until it covered Saturday in a loss to Georgia. 

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