Head Coach Major Applewhite and the Cougars of Houston are gearing up to meet Coach Mike Bloomgren and the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. This daytime matchup is scheduled to get going at 12:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to CBS Sports Network.
Houston Cougars vs. Rice Owls Betting Preview
Houston is the heavy road favorite and is currently giving up 25 points to Rice. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 56 points. If one side finds paydirt early, it will probably produce a nice in-game betting opportunity.
The game’s over/under has yet to move after it was initially placed at 56. Having said that, the opening line was 23.5 and has recently moved up to 25.
Overall, the Cougars were 7-5 straight-up (SU) in 2017 while the Owls only managed a 1-11 SU record last season. Against in-conference opponents, the Cougars went 5-3 SU and the Owls were 1-7 SU versus Conference USA schools. The Cougars finished 2-1 SU against teams from outside the AAC while the Owls were 0-4 SU against such competition.
The Cougars averaged 246 passing yards per game and 192 rushing yards per game against their eight in-conference opponents last year. They managed to score 28.9 points per game against those opponents and gave up 25.9 per contest. When playing out-of-conference competition, they averaged 27.0 points and 15.3 points-allowed, along with 305 pass yards per game and 133 rush yards per contest.
Against out-of-conference foes, the Owls passed for 144 yards per game and rushed for 133 per game on their way to 8.0 points per outing. When facing just CUSA opponents, the offensive unit registered 20.4 points per game by averaging 145 passing yards and 214 rushing yards. The Owls defense allowed 47.8 PPG to non-conference foes and 29.8 to teams in conference in 2017
The Cougars ought to hold an edge when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line allowed only 17 sacks last season while the D-line registered 23 sacks. The Owls offensive line allowed 29 sacks last year and their defense created only 28 sacks.
These two squads met a year ago with the final result being a 38-3 win for Houston.
Bedding Prediction: Houston Cougars vs. Rice Owls
SU Winner – Rice, ATS Winner – Rice, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
Houston created 25 rushing touchdowns last season.
Rice put up 20 rushing touchdowns last season.
The Cougars put up 4.5 yards per carry last season while allowing 3.8 YPC to opponents.
The Owls tallied 4.6 yards per carry last season and allowed 5.0 YPC to opponents.
The Houston O-line yielded 17 sacks last season. Their defense created 23 sacks.
Owls quarterbacks were sacked 29 times last season. Their defense got to opposing QBs 28 times
Houston recorded 16 passing touchdowns last season.
Rice only threw for six passing touchdowns last season.
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