Rice vs Houston Prediction College Football Picks 9/14/24

In this article, we will formulate a  Rice vs Houston prediction for this College Football Week 3 game on Saturday, September 14th, at TDECU Stadium.  Let’s take a look at a Rice Owls vs Houston Cougars pick. To formulate this prediction, we will examine:

-The Owls’ recent form and recent player performance 

-The Cougars’ recent form and recent player performance

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Rice

-Recent Betting trends and streaks involving Houston

-Recent betting trends in games played between Rice and Houston

-A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for Today’s Game between the Owls and Cougars.

Rice Put on a Show in the Last Game

Rice in the first game faced off against Sam Houston State and they were defeated 34-14. In the last game though against Texas Southern they were dominant. The offense scored 69 points and that was enough for the easy victory. Even though the offense was impressive, the passing game wasn’t all that great. 

E.J Warner completed 20 of his 30 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The running game went wild, and they are going to need to run wild again. Dean Connors finished with nine carries for 113 yards and three touchdowns. Taji Atkins also rushed 11 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was so bad in the first game and they can’t let that happen again here. 

Houston Looks for First Win

Houston has lost their first two games of the season but they did look better in the last game. In the first game against UNLV, Houston was defeated 27-7. In the last game, the defense really stepped up against Oklahoma but they still ended up losing 16-12. They allowed Jackson Arnold to throw for only 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Donovan Smith did have a strong game completing 24 of his 28 passes for 260 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The running game wasn’t good and the top rusher was Stacy Sneed and he finished with 11 carriers for 33 yards.

In this game, Houston needs to do a better job of finding the end zone. If the offense had just found the end zone one more time, they would have beaten Oklahoma and there would be a whole lot more chatter about this Houston team. 

Why Houston Will Win Against Rice

• Rice has lost each of its last nine September road games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Houston has won eight of its last 10 games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference at TDECU Stadium.
• Rice has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five September games as a road underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Rice has lost the first half in three of its last four games against non-conference opponents.

Rice vs Houston Prediction

Houston is going to get the job done here. The Rice defense has no one to slow down Donovan Smith and that is going to be the difference here. Smith is going to throw at least three touchdowns here, and Rice is going to have no answer. Houston’s defense is going to slow down Rice, and it’s going to be Houston that is going to come out on top with ease. Back Houston against the spread here. 

Shane Mickle's Pick: Houston -4