This article is part of our College Football DFS: Weekday Slate series.
The Houston Cougars and the Hawaii Golden Warriors will fight it out in the New Mexico Bowl on Christmas Eve, and DraftKings is providing a Showdown contest for the game. We'll examine tackling this game via the unique Showdown format.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Houston vs. Hawaii (+10.5) O/U: 60
For starters, the New Mexico Bowl isn't being played in New Mexico. Due to COVID restrictions, the game is now taking place in Frisco, TX. This tags on an additional two hours of flight time for Hawaii, making it a roughly eight-hour flight to get to the site. Conversely, the Cougars will almost be playing a home game in Frisco.
Hawaii is a team that's to be thwarted by COVID, and they managed to play a full schedule in the Mountain West's shortened season. That's a disadvantage for Houston, as they've had two canceled games and are also coming off a fairly significant layoff.
Both teams possess high-powered offenses, but it's the Cougars who have a superior defense. They've recorded 22 sacks this season, which puts them among the nation's best in getting to the quarterback. The wrinkle here is that the Cougars will be without their best defensive players, as linebacker Grant Stuard and defensive lineman Payton Turner have opted out of the bowl game. Their absences could open up for quarterback Chase Cordeiro and the pass-heavy Hawaii offense.
LINEUP CONSTRUCTION
If you aren't familiar with the Showdown format, the roster consists of five FLEX positions and one Captain (CPTN) position.
