Subscribe
Follow Us
Rice and Memphis rekindle an old rivalry that hasn't had a matchup since 2012. The teams faced off four times during the early 2010s, each taking two victories. Rice has the chance to spoil Memphis' slim chances of making the conference championship game. Rice has some victories as an underdog this season. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Rice-Memphis prediction and pick.
Rice hasn't had an excellent start to the season and will need to win three straight to end the year to get bowl eligibility. Sam Houston State upset them by 20 points in the season opener before Rice destroyed Texas Southern 69-7 in the next game. It was unclear how the season would go, but they lost five of their next six games to slide down the standings. Rice's two wins came as underdogs, defeating UTSA 29-27 as 3.5-point underdogs and Navy 24-10 as 13-point underdogs.
Memphis currently sits fourth in the American Athletic Conference after losing 44-36 to UTSA last week as seven-point favorites. The Tigers entered the game with a 7-1 record, but the loss could prove costly. Memphis now has two losses in the conference, sitting behind Navy at 4-1 and Tulane and Army with undefeated records. Memphis ends the season with a matchup on the road against Tulane, which could have significant conference championship implications.
Here are the Rice-Memphis College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Rice-Memphis Odds
Rice: +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +286
Memphis: -9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -374
Over: 52.5 (-110)
Under: 52.5 (-110)
How to Watch Rice vs. Memphis
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
TV: ESPN2
Article Continues Below
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Rice Could Cover The Spread/Win
EJ Warner returned with a vengeance last week after missing Rice's disappointing loss to UConn. Warner has 235+ passing yards in his previous four starts, with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Drew Devilier struggled in his start against UConn, recording just 88 passing yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Rice could capitalize on Memphis' poor passing defense, as the Tigers rank 97th in passing yards allowed per game.
Memphis has covered the spread just once in their past six games. Meanwhile, Rice covered the spread in three of their last four games. The Owls have been in better form.
Why Memphis Could Cover The Spread/Win
Memphis' passing offense could overwhelm Rice in this game, as the Owls aren't accustomed to facing so many passing attempts per game. Rice's defense faces the ninth-least passing attempts per game with 25.4, which contributes to having one of the best pass defenses. Memphis will air the ball out nearly 40 times per game.
Final Rice-Memphis Prediction & Pick
The game could depend on Rice's successful pass defense against Memphis' aerial attack. The Tigers rank 21st in the nation with 282.9 passing yards per game, while the Owls are eighth with only 159.2 passing yards allowed. Rice wants to play a low-scoring, drag-em-out battle that could cover a spread above a touchdown. Rice's defense will be ready to step up against Memphis' passing offense, and the Tigers could be in for their toughest test of the season.
Memphis' offense has broken out over the past few games, but they had plenty of low-scoring games earlier in the season. The problem for Memphis is they've allowed 44 points in two of the past three games and 28 points in the other. If Rice's offense can break through, they should hand Memphis another loss against the spread.
Final Rice-Memphis Prediction & Pick: Rice +9.5 (-110)
