Texas Longhorns vs Rice Owls Odds & Free College Football Pick
Not sure you could call Texas vs. Rice an all-new competition when they meet Saturday in Houston. I meanthey are both in Texas, but the Owls haven’t won a game in the collection since 1994 at Rice Stadium. Just how was this? ESPN was also desperate to broadcast to a Sunday since the MLB season had been canceled due to the players‘ strike, therefore Texas-Rice was transferred to Sunday.
Texas leads the all-time string 72-21-1, 23-13-1 at Houston, 3-0 in NRG Stadium and has taken the 13 overall. Until that was dissolved in May 1996, they were both in the Southwest Conference. Of course, Texas is in Rice at Conference USA and the Big 12. The last meeting was in 2015.
Rice isn’t a program that is fantastic with only 11 wins since 2015. They were 1-11 at David Bailiff’s final period in 2017 and“improved“ into 2-11 last year under first trainer Mike Bloomgren. Since any school that travels to Hawaii is permitted to for financial 24, the reason that Rice got to play with 13 games was. The Owls‘ wins last year have been Prairie View A&M (barely) and Old Dominion.
This past year, the Owls and Week 1 in a loss at a Army group played well but then fell week. Starting quarterback Wiley Green left that one delivered into the hospital and having a scary-looking head/neck injury that had him carted away. All tests were negative about the freshman. I tend to doubt he performs here, however. Senior Tom Stewart seems likely to begin. The Harvard transfer was 19-for-30 for 185 yards and a touchdown in place of Green vs. Wake Forest.
Maybe Stewart will enhance an offense that ranks 120th in yards per game (282.0), 118th in scoring (14.0) and 113th in death (158.0). Rice is not much better for defense, standing 128th in pass efficiency D and 118th against the rush.
Rice is 3-6 all-time playing at NRG Stadium; it usually plays campus. The Owls have not defeated a ranked team since Nov. 11, 1997, vs. No. 21 BYU.
Texas fans are definitely bummed their staff dropped 45-38 in the home to LSU a week in the very first and only Best 10 matchup of the season, however UT is still in nice shape to create the College Football Playoff when it ends up, including the Big 12 title game. Each year but a one-loss group has won the national title. No team, though, has attained the playoff. Nine of Texas‘ 11 losses under Tom Herman have come by 10 points or fewer.
Junior Sam Ehlinger has become one of the nation’s better quarterbacks. He also torched an excellent LSU shield for 401 yards and four touchdowns a week when running for a score. It was the first time 400-yard death match in Texas history and the first as Colt McCoy versus UCF at 2009. Ehlinger UT’s best quarterback since McCoytied his career with all the five TDs. He has pitched 31 touchdowns to only three interceptions over his past 15 games. Texas is currently 11-4 in that interval, including five wins over ranked teams.
One injury notice from this LSU reduction was that nickel cornerback BJ Foster hurt his hamstring and will miss several weeks. He started six games as a freshman in 2018, recording 45 tackles, including nine for a loss and 2.5 sacks, to go with the interception.
It not a matter of if Texas wins here but if it insures. I have a tendency to think the Horns might be a bit flat in their first“street“ game of this year and following that close call vs. LSU. Plus, UT opens Big 12 play with a much harder challenge vs. Oklahoma State.
Totally free NCAAF Pick: Rice +32.5 (-112) at Pinnacle
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