Rice is hosting Memphis on Friday night of Week 10. The game will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET in Houston, Texas.
The Tigers are 14-point road favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 48.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this Memphis vs. Rice American Conference matchup.
Memphis vs. Rice prediction, preview
Memphis Preview
The Tigers are coming off the biggest win of their season against South Florida. The Bulls looked to be in the driver’s seat to secure the Group of Five College Football Playoff bid. However, Memphis knocked them off and now controls its own path to the American Conference title, which could translate to the College Football Playoff. Memphis has built this team around the running game, and that makes it hard to beat. The Tigers lead the nation in offensive EPA/rush. They also rank first in the nation in early downs EPA/play. That means on first and second down, they are picking up chunks of yardage, avoiding third-and-long situations. Their offense is so hard to get off the field that it allows their defense, which has some flaws, to never be put under too much pressure.
Rice Preview
Rice is coming off a big win over UConn in double overtime. Rice is now 4-4, with a winnable game against UAB left on the schedule. However, if it beats UAB, Rice would still need to upset either Memphis, North Texas or South Florida to become bowl eligible. Rice has only two bowl game appearances in the past ten years and hasn’t won one since 2014. So, in Scott Abell’s first year as head coach, a bowl game would go a long way. Rice will be highly motivated to knock off one of the big dogs left on its schedule. The Rice defense could be a tough test for Memphis. This defense is elite at keeping opposing offenses off schedule and behind the sticks. That could throw off the Memphis offense, which is built for short-yardage situations.
Memphis vs. Rice pick, best bet
My best bet for this game is for Rice to cover the spread as two-touchdown underdogs. The Owls should be feeling confident after picking up a win over UConn, and now get to host Memphis in Houston. Meanwhile, this is an awful spot for Memphis. The Tigers are coming off a monumental win over South Florida, which puts them in control of their own destiny for a CFP bid. However, Memphis has shown that it will play up and down to its competition. The week prior to the South Florida game, Memphis lost outright to UAB on the road. It was clear that the Tigers were looking ahead to the USF game, rather than focusing on UAB.
The week after this Rice game, Memphis faces Tulane, one of the teams they need to knock off to get to the American title game. This Rice tilt is sandwiched between the two biggest games of Memphis’ season. It will be hard for them to get emotionally up for this one. Not to mention that Rice’s defense ranks 18th in the nation in defensive success rate. If the Owls can keep Memphis off schedule, its offense does not function at the same level. Rice should make this a scrappy game and keep it within two touchdowns.
