Sam Houston Bearkats vs Troy Trojans Prediction, 9/5/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Sam Houston Bearkats vs Troy Trojans

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026

Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, AL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Trojans (-17.5)

Total/Over-Under: 53.5

Veterans Memorial Stadium is where the Troy Trojans (8-6 last season) will meet the Sam Houston Bearkats (2-10 last year) on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Sam Houston opens this contest as 17.5-point dogs. The total has been set at 53.5.

The Sam Houston Bearkats finished the year holding a 2-10 record. The last time they took the field, the Bearkats played the FIU Panthers and ended up losing by a score of 56-16. The Sam Houston Bearkats ended up running the ball 38 times and amassed 196 yds, which earned them an average of 5.2 yds per attempt. For the game, they ran 71 plays which gave them 359 yds. Sam Houston allowed 15 completions on 24 tries for 291 yards, and a completion rate of 62.5%. Against the run, the Bearkats conceded 303 yards on 40 attempts, which is 7.6 yards per run allowed.

The Bearkats tallied 3,792 total yards for the previous season. Sam Houston amassed 12 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. They turned the ball over 16 different times. Sam Houston totaled 200 1st downs, and they were called for 77 penalties for 703 yards. As a unit they averaged 131.9 yds via the ground game, giving them a rank of 97th in the nation. Concerning scoring points, the Sam Houston Bearkats held an average of 17.8 points per contest.

Regarding passing yards, the Bearkats gave up 3,311 yds which had them ranked 128th in college football. Over the course of their 12 games played last year, they allowed 275.9 yards per contest through the air as well as surrendering a completion percentage of 70.6%. They yielded 483.6 yards per game which had them sitting 136th in the nation. They surrendered 20 touchdowns through the air as well as 34 rushing touchdowns. Opposing teams ran for an average of 5.4 yards per rush and 207.7 yards on the ground per game last season. In total, they conceded 2,492 yards via the ground game in 12 contests. The Bearkats were sitting in 134th in D-1 in terms of the opposition scoring, allowing 37.8 PPG.

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The Trojans wrapped up their year with a 8-6 record. When they last stepped on the field, the Trojans went home defeated by a final of 17-13 when they played the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The Trojans ended up finishing with 217 yds while they ran 62 plays (3.5 yds per play). Troy ran for 2.8 yds per attempt, finishing with 88 yards on 32 carries. Troy gave up 43 running attempts for 100 yards (2.3 yds per rush). The Trojans pass defense allowed a completion rate of 63.6%, relinquishing 173 yards on 14 out of 22 passing.

The Troy Trojans averaged 307.2 yards/contest, which had them ranked 123rd in college football. The Troy offense had 729 penalty yards on 78 infractions, which ranked them 63rd in the nation in terms of making mistakes. They averaged 98.0 yards per game on the ground and ran for 1,372 yards for the year. They tossed 13 picks while allowing opponents to recover 6 fumbles and they obtained 242 first downs. When it comes to how much they scored, the Trojans ranked 96th in D-1 averaging 23.5 points per outing. Last season, the Trojans threw for a total of 2,929 yards through the air as well as an average of 209.2 throwing yards per game, putting them at 90th in the country.

The Trojans allowed 23.9 points per contest, which had them ranked 58th in the country. Troy gave up a total of 2,475 yards via the ground game (176.8 yards per game) as well as 22 touchdowns on the ground over the course of last season. They allowed 15 touchdowns through the air and 196.2 yards per outing, which put them in 34th in college football. The Trojans defense took the field for 935 plays, which was 121st in the country. They tallied 8 fumbles and 10 interceptions for the previous season. Overall, they gave up 335 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Bearkats/Trojans college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Trojans -17.5

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