Tulsa at UTEP

The Golden Hurricane will bring the nation's leading offense into the Sun Bowl for a Conference USA clash on ESPN. Tulsa isn't quite as offensive as they have been in the past, but they still possess a lot of weapons. And, what has been lacking the past few years, a solid defense, is now in place. The Hurricane gave #5 Boise State all it could handle a week ago, losing by a touchdown. They lost to Oklahoma by a wide margin, but when facing competition more of their own ilk, they have shined this year. Outside of their games vs. Oklahoma and Boise State, Tulsa is 4-0, winning on average by a score of 41-9. Remove a blasting of Sam Houston State from the equation and Tulsa has beaten three non-powerhouse FBS opponents by a combined 75 points. They have lost just one game ATS this season out of six. The Miners have shown the ability to move the ball, but the defense is once again keeping this team from moving up in the ranks. They sit one from the bottom in yards allowed, 119th out of 120 teams. They have not been taking advantage of their home field, as they have turned in just a 3-7 ATS mark over their last 10 at home. The visiting team in this series has covered the spread in 12 of the last 17 meetings. And, under head coach Mike Price, the Miners are just 3-11 ATS coming off a road loss. I expect Tulsa to get a comfortable double-digit win here.