Rice vs UConn prediction, odds, pick for CFB Week 9

It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Rice-UConn prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rice-UConn.

The Rice Owls pushed a very good Tulane team last week. Rice was continuously able to defend its own third of the field. Tulane moved the ball a lot inside the Rice 35-yard line but was not consistent in finishing drives. The Rice defense was rugged and resolute, getting fourth-down stops and making timely plays to frustrate the Tulane offense. This is why the game was close midway through the fourth quarter. Tulane really couldn’t shake off Rice in a game which remained up for grabs for the first 50 minutes.

The problem for Rice was that as well as its defense played — specifically in being able to thwart drives in its own third of the field — the offense wasn’t able to rise to a higher level of play. Rice couldn’t finish drives, either. Very untimely mistakes prevented Rice from being able to build a larger lead in the first three quarters. Tulane, though playing well below average on offense, was finally able to take advantage with two late touchdowns which broke the game open. Rice did cover the 21.5-point spread, and it did so fairly easily. Tulane, however, won a 24-10 game which was there for the taking late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. Rice played hard, but it wasn’t as efficient as it needed to be on offense.

The same could be said for UConn in its recent home-field loss to Wake Forest. The game was close and competitive, but UConn simply did not get enough from its offense in a 23-20 loss. The Huskies were just 5 of 15 on third downs. They rushed for only 45 yards. They held the ball for only 25 minutes. None of those stats are usually going to be good enough to win a ballgame. UConn was one-dimensional on offense and allowed its defense to play far too many snaps. It’s actually impressive that UConn stayed as close as it did despite its offensive limitations and failures. The mandate is clear this week: Convert third downs and grind out the tough yards this time.

Here are the Rice-UConn College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Rice-UConn Odds

Rice: +6.5 (-115)

Moneyline: +176

UConn: -6.5 (-105)

Moneyline: -215

Over: 46.5 (-105)

Under: 46.5 (-115)

How to Watch Rice vs UConn

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Rice Could Cover The Spread/Win

Rice is improving. The Owls weren’t good enough to beat Tulane on the road, but Tulane is a good team and Rice was right there with the Green Wave early in the fourth quarter. The game was close until the final minutes. If Rice plays that level of defense once again versus a UConn team which is noticeably worse than Tulane — there’s a rather large gulf in quality between the two sides — Rice should be able to not only cover, but win outright. One could make the case that the spread should be 3.5 points and not 6.5. There’s a lot of value to be found with Rice here.

Why UConn Could Cover The Spread/Win

The spread might be inflated by a few points, but even at the 6.5 number, UConn just has to win by one touchdown over a Rice team which is not especially potent on offense. UConn could win an ugly 20-13 game, but that would still be good enough to cover the spread.

Final Rice-UConn Prediction & Pick

Our lean is definitely to Rice here, but we’re not going to recommend that you entrust your money to the Rice Owls on the road. Pass on this game.

Final Rice-UConn Prediction & Pick: Rice +6.5