Texas Tech vs. Houston Football Preview and Predictions Along with Other In-State Rivalry Games Week 3

There are 16 in-state games, most of which are rivalry games in week three, and Texas Tech and Houston highlight this slate of games.

No. 22-ranked Houston Cougars travel in-state to take on the Texas Tech Raiders in the first conference game for both teams in this heated state of Texas rivalry.

Distance from these two schools: 521 miles separate these Texas schools, as Houston is located in the southeast part of the state, while Texas Tech is located in the northwest portion of the state.

Historical records in this rivalry: Houston has a record of 18-17-1 against the Red Raiders, while Texas Tech looks to even the overall record between these two football programs.

Last football game played between these two teams: Texas Tech defeated the Cougars by a final score of 35-11 last season, and the Red Raiders have won the last seven games against Houston and have won 12 of the last 13 games against the Cougars.

Interesting rivalry fact: In 2021, in the stands of the game between these two teams, a physical altercation broke out and went viral with fans and media personalities voicing their opinions. It was the Texas Kickoff at NRG Stadium game, and it shows that sometimes fans' passion and fandom can get the best of them in a heated rivalry.

Game Prediction: Texas Tech 31, Houston 28

Distance from these two schools: 111 miles separate these two Oregon schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: Oregon leads this series 6-0 and is undefeated against the Vikings.

Last football game played between these two teams: The Ducks defeated Portland State 81-7 in 2023, and the closest margin between the two football teams was back in 2002 when Oregon won by 41.

Game Prediction: Oregon 64, Portland State 10

Distance from these two schools: 136 miles separate these two Ohio schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: These two teams have only played each other three times, with Ohio State having a 3-0 record against Kent State historically.

Last football game played between these two teams: These two teams last played each other on the football field in 2014 when the Buckeyes defeated the Golden Flashes by a final score of 66-0.

Game Prediction: Ohio State 50, Kent State 7

Distance from these two schools: 87 miles separate these two Georgia schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: Georgia Tech has dominated this football series with a 16-1-1 record against the Bears.

Last football game played between these two teams: They last played each other in 2016 when the Yellow Jackets defeated Mercer by a final score of 35-10.

Interesting rivalry fact: The first time they played each other was in 1892, and that was the only time Mercer has ever defeated Georgia Tech in football.

Game Prediction: Georgia Tech 48, Mercer 3

Distance from these two schools: 262 miles separate these two Texas schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: North Texas has done well historically in this football series with a 28-7-3 record against Texas State.

Last football game played between these two teams: They last played each other two seasons ago when the Texas State defeated North Texas in a close game by a final score of 30-28. The game was in the First Responder Bowl, which is hosted in Texas, and it was a turning point for the Bobcats program, which is now a Pac-12 member.

Interesting rivalry fact: When both teams last went up against each other in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, both teams combined for 999 yards of offense in a very entertaining bowl game.

Game Prediction: North Texas 28, Texas State 21

Distance from these two schools: 182 miles separate these two Illinois schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: These two teams have only played each other just four times, with Illinois having an undefeated record of 4-0 against Southern Illinois all-time.

Last football game played between these two teams: These two teams last played each other in 2013 when the Fighting Illini defeated the Salukis by a final score of 42-34.

Game Prediction: Illinois 33, Southern Illinois 13

Distance from these two schools: Only 86 miles separate these Utah schools, as Utah State is located north of the University of Utah, while the University of Utah is located in the foothills of Salt Lake City, near downtown. foothills of Salt Lake City, near downtown.

Historical records in this rivalry: The Utes have a record of 80-29-4 against the Aggies, while Utah has won four of the last five games between these two football programs.

Last football game played between these two teams: Utah defeated Utah State by a final score of 38-21 in 2024, and the Utes have won the last three games against the Aggies and have won 15 of the last 16 games against the Aggies.

Interesting rivalry fact: This unique football rivalry between Utah and Utah State, known as the Battle of the Brothers, dates all the way back to 1892, making it the oldest collegiate football rivalry in the state of Utah.

Game Prediction: Utah 27, Utah State 20

The Battle for the Victory Bell is one of the longest and most legendary traditions in college football, between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Miami RedHawks.

The rivalry began at Oxford, Ohio, and ended in a 0-0 tie. It was the first official college football game played in the state of Ohio. The bell was hung in Miami’s Harrison Hall, where it was rung to mark college successes, until it was taken (or “borrowed” as Cincinnati students had once quipped) in 1890. It was eventually officially named as the traveling trophy for the annual competition between the two squads.

From 1912 until 1960, the game was played on Thanksgiving weekend, and the Victory Bell became a featured part of Thanksgiving customs for fans of both institutions. Each year, the night before each Victory Bell game, Cincinnati students and fans would parade through downtown Cincinnati in an annual “Pajama Parade.”

Cincinnati won 16 straight rivalry games vs. Miami (OH) from 2006 to 2022, the longest streak in series history, to take a commanding lead in the all-time series. In 2023, Miami of Ohio broke that streak. The Miami (OH) RedHawks ended a 16-game losing streak with a dramatic 31-24 overtime win at Nippert Stadium, returning the Victory Bell for the first time in over two decades. Cincinnati leads this overlooked historical rivalry 61-60-7.

Game Prediction: Cincinnati 33, Miami (OH) 17

The Iowa Hawkeyes will take on the FCS-level Northern Iowa Panthers (UNI) in an instate battle. The Hawkeyes own a 17-1 edge in the all-time series, but this game has been a fountain of drama and intrastate conflict.

The series began in Iowa City when the Iowa State Normal School (later Northern Iowa) shocked the Hawkeyes 11-5. Northern Iowa’s only Iowa series triumph. Iowa owned the next decade, going 10-0 and outscoring Northern Iowa 389-25, including a 95-0 blowout in 1914.

The meeting in 1914 was the last time the schools played each other for more than eight decades. The in-state series was restarted in 1995 after an 81-year gap as the programs resumed competition in Iowa City, with Iowa winning 34–13. The current era has produced a steady nonconference rivalry between the state’s flagship FBS program and its top FCS power.

Iowa dodged a scare from UNI in one of the most bizarre endings in Kinnick Stadium history. Iowa blocked a game-winning field goal attempt from UNI. UNI trailed 16-17 with less than 10 seconds to play. The ball never passed the line of scrimmage, and UNI recovered and kicked another field goal, which Iowa stopped just before time expired to hang onto a 17-16 victory.

Iowa's games against UNI were often closely contested in recent times. Iowa won 27-16 in 2012 after trailing. UNI stuck around until late in the fourth quarter in 2014 before falling 31-23.

Distance from these two schools: 226 miles separate these two Louisiana schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: These two teams have played each other 48 times, with Southeastern Louisiana holding the all-time series lead and a record of 30-16-2 against UL Monroe.

Last football game played between these two teams: These two teams last played each other in 2018 when the Warhawks defeated the Lions in a close game by a final score of 34-31.

Game Prediction: UL Monrone 38, SE Lousiana 28

Distance from these two schools: Only 55 miles separate these Florida schools, as FAU is located north of FIU, while FAU is located in Boca Raton.

Historical records in this rivalry: The Owls have a record of 17-5 against the Panthers, while FAU has won seven of the last eight games between these two football programs.

Last football game played between these two teams: FIU defeated FAU by a final score of 38-22 last season, but before that the Owls had won seven straight games against the Panthers.

Interesting rivalry fact: The rivalry between Florida International and Florida Atlantic, which is known as the Shula Bowl, was named after the legendary NFL coach Don Shula. This was done because of the strong ties that both programs' founding figures had with Shula.

Game Prediction: FIU 28, FAU 27

This non-conference series is growing into an intra-state rivalry in North Carolina between the Charlotte 49ers and Appalachian State Mountaineers. The two programs are less than 100 miles apart, but they are at vastly different stages of football tradition. Appalachian State is a well-established regional juggernaut, while Charlotte just began playing football in 2013.

The programs met for the first time in Charlotte, and Appalachian State took an early lead and won 45-9. The next season, both offenses scored frequently in a 56–41 shootout win for App State in their first ever meeting at Kidd Brewer Stadium. After a five-year hiatus, the series resumed with a high-profile neutral-site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. App State pulled away for a 34-11 victory to stay perfect in the series. Appalachian State leads the all-time series 4-0.

Game Prediction: Appalachian State 41, Charlotte 24

The Memphis Tigers and UT Martin Skyhawks have an in-state regional football series between two schools in West Tennessee. The programs are in different levels of college football, with Memphis in the FBS and UT Martin in the FCS, but their history goes back more than a century.

The series started early in the history of both programs when UT Martin (then the Hall-Moody Institute before joining the University of Tennessee system) took to the road to Memphis and left with a 15-6 victory. Memphis State won 26–6 in 1955, but UT Martin bounced back with a 27–14 home victory in 1956—their last win over Memphis until the 2010s.

Memphis played host to UT Martin at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for the first time in more than five decades. The Tigers cruised to a 41-14 non-conference win. However, Memphis lost its season opener in 2012 to FCS UT Martin in Memphis, 20-17, in a stunner. A late touchdown drive sealed one of the biggest wins in Skyhawks football history.

Memphis leads the all-time series with a 9-4-1 edge in this in-state rivalry.

Game Prediction: Memphis 38, UT Martin 17

Distance from these two schools: 268 miles separate these two Washington schools.

Historical records in this rivalry: Washington leads this series 3-0 and is undefeated against the Eagles. However, two of the three games were determined by seven or fewer points.

Last football game played between these two teams: The Huskies defeated the Eagles 47-14 in 2019, and the closest margin between the two football teams was back in 2011 when Washington only won by three points.

Game Prediction: Washington 51, Eastern Washington 10

Distance from these two schools: Only 83 miles separate these two South Texas schools.

Historical records in this in-state new rivalry: These two teams have only played each other two times, with the Longhorns holding the all-time series lead and a record of 2-0 against the Roadrunners.

Last football game played between these two teams: These two teams last played each other in 2024 when Texas defeated UTSA by a final score of 56-7.

Game Prediction: Texas 41, UTSA 14

The rivalry between San Jose State and Fresno State, known as the Battle for the Valley, is one of the oldest college football rivalries in California. The two programs have faced each other on the gridiron nearly 90 times since playing their first game in 1921, crisscrossing the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The all-time series is led by Fresno State 46-39-3, and the first game played between the two was in 1921, with San Jose State winning 14-2.

In the 1980s, the rivalry was known for high-scoring thrillers, as both schools had dominant offenses. San Jose State scored a series record 65 points in a 65-33 win in 1981. In 1986, SJSU won a nail-biter, 45–41, which helped them achieve a conference championship.

San Jose State has held the all-time series lead for more than five decades, but then the rivalry shifted. Fresno State, under head coach Pat Hill, went on a 12-game winning streak from 1991 to 2005, taking the overall series lead for the first time in 2003.

The Valley Trophy, a custom-crafted bronze trophy featuring the geographical features of the Central Valley and Silicon Valley, debuted in 2013 and is considered one of the best recent trophies for college football rivalries.

The first trophy game, Nov. 29, 2013, was an instant classic. In a dramatic 62-52 shootout, San Jose State ruined the BCS bowl hopes of undefeated, No. 16-ranked Fresno State.

Game Prediction: San Jose State 27, Fresno State 24

There are 16 in-state games, most of which are rivalry games in week three, and Texas Tech and Houston highlight this slate of games.

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