Will Gary Patterson and TCU cover the spread this week? Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Jay K. Stark provides weekly gambling selections for SportsMap and Houstonsportsandstuff:
Maryland @ Ohio State -30.5: Minnesota looked flat and took a 3rd string Maryland QB for granted last week- Urban Meyer will not. Ohio State can name their number here and I think it gets out of hand in a hurry.
Washington State @ Oregon +2.5: Prove it to me Leach. Washington State has not played a road game all year and is coming off the biggest win in their programs history. If Oregon brings any form of defense to this game I think they win outright. Can Oregon cover and tackle anyone? I hope so.
West Virginia +13.5 @ TCU Hold your nose. I know TCU is very good. However, they have covered as a DD favorite at home 1 of their last 12 times. I heard an interview this week on 97.5, in which Coach Holgorsen told John and Raheel, “We are blessed to be on the same field this week with those guys.” (catch that at podcastarena) WVU needs to stop the run. But they should put up a spirited effort this week.
Chiefs @ Texans +1 Breaking from the theme of the week of picking against teams coming off a HUGE win, this is a bad spot for the Chiefs with back to back nationally televised games and less time for travel. There is going to be time to fade the Texans, but the line says they are the right play this week.
Possible adds Saturday morning.
As always, any questions or hate mail please direct them to me @jayoff288
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Stephen A. Smith presses Stroud on Texans' o-line concerns, Mixon loss
Aug 26, 2025, 1:25 pm
The Houston Texans’ season is right around the corner, with their opener set for a week from Sunday. One of the biggest questions of training camp has been the status of running back Joe Mixon.
Mixon hasn’t taken part in practices, and with the regular season fast approaching, his Week 1 availability always seemed doubtful. On Monday, the Texans provided clarity.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter: “Texans are not activating running back Joe Mixon by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, making him ineligible to play at least the first four games this season due to an ankle injury. Mixon will be moved to Reserve/Non-Football Injury, which automatically rules him out for at least four games.”
With Mixon sidelined, Houston will turn to Nick Chubb, Damien Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, rookie Woody Marks, and Jawhar Jordan to carry the load.
All signs point to Chubb taking the starting role in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
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