Rice at Southern Miss - 12/17/22 College Football Picks and Prediction

The Rice Owls and Southern Miss Golden Eagles face off on Saturday in LendingTree Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium. When these two teams faced off in 2021 it was Rice that secured the 24-19 victory. 

Rice comes into this game with a 5-7 record, and they have gone 7-5 against the spread. Rice had a successful season for their standards, but they have lost three games in a row. Two games ago against UTSA they were defeated 41-7 and in the last game against North Texas they were defeated 21-17. AJ Padgett completed 13 of his 22 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Rice is averaging 25.3 points, while their defense is giving up 33.8 points per game. This is a defense that has been inconsistent, and in this game the defense is going to need to be good. 

On the other side of this matchup is Southern Miss who sits with a 6-6 record, and they have gone 8-3-1 against the spread. In the last game against Louisiana-Monroe, the defense gave up only ten points, and that led to the 10-point victory. Trey Lowe III completed 10 of his 16 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. Frank Gore Jr had another big game, rushing 24 times for 199 yards and a touchdown. Southern Miss is averaging 24.3 points, while their defense is giving up 23.5 points per game. In this game, if Southern Miss does a good job of running the ball, they are going to be in good shape to secure the victory.