The Houston Cougars will play the Auburn Tigers in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday. It's time continue our college football odds series with a Houston-Auburn Birmingham Bowl prediction and pick.

Houston and Auburn will play in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday as Auburn will stay in the state of Alabama for this matchup. The Tigers lost there last four games of the season, but played No. 1 Alabama into four overtimes in their last game on Nov. 27. Houston won their last 11 regular season games before losing to Cincinnati in the AAC Championship game. Auburn comes into this matchup as slight favorites over the Cougars.

Here is how FanDuel has set the Houston-Auburn odds for the Birmingham Bowl.

College Football Odds: Houston-Auburn Birmingham Bowl Odds

Houston Cougars +2 (-110)

Auburn Tigers -2 (-110)

Over 51.5 (-110)

Under 51.5 (-110)

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Why Houston Could Cover The Spread

Houston comes in as just slight underdogs but might be a sneaky play as they had a very successful season. The Cougars went 11-2 this season with their only losses being the season opener vs. Texas Tech and the conference championship game to No. 4 Cincinnati. Houston scored 37.3 points per game this season while allowing just 21 per. They averaged 415 yards of total offense while holding teams to 298 yards per game. The Cougars are led by quarterback Clayton Tune, who threw for 3,263 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. This could be a good spot for Houston to pull off the upset as Auburn lost some players due to transfer, one of them being their former starting QB.

Houston vs. the spread

Houston was 7-6 overall vs. the spread this season. As underdogs, they were 2-1 against the number. The Cougars have covered in just two of their last five games.

Why Auburn Could Cover The Spread

Auburn lost long-time starting quarterback Bo Nix, who has transferred to Oregon for his senior season. TJ Finley will man the position in this one as he has a few times this season. Finley posted 600 passing yards and five touchdowns to just one interception this season as Nix's backup. He started the final two games of the season for the Tigers including their 4OT loss to Alabama.

Auburn scored 29.4 points per game this season while allowing 22.2. The Tigers posted 405 yards of offense per game, with 165 coming on the ground. They held opponents to 370 total yards per game including 243 per game through the air.

Auburn vs. the spread

Auburn was 6-6 vs. the spread this season and 4-6 in their last ten games. They covered just once in their final four games of the season.

Final Houston-Auburn Birmingham Bowl Prediction and Pick

Bowl games often mean more to the non-Power 5 teams in these types of matchups. Houston played a better brand of football than the Tigers did this season, also. Take the Cougars to cover and win over Auburn in the Holiday Bowl, as Auburn will be without their original starting quarterback from what was a tough season.

Houston should be able to pull off the upset as they have a chance at a 12-win season if they are able to come out of this one with the win. The Cougars played a decent game vs. No. 4 Cincinnati in their last one, and should be more motivated than Auburn is to end their season on a positive note.

Final Houston-Auburn Birmingham Bowl Prediction & Pick:  (-110)