Rice vs. Memphis Prediction, Odds and Key Players for College Football Week 11

Rice is coming off a shocking, stunning setback against Navy. Can the team continue to shake up the AAC race with a win against Memphis?

The Owls are back on the road to take on the Tigers, who started the season as betting favorites but are coming off a stunning loss at UTSA that will hurt the team’s chances of reaching the conference title game has hindered. A win is mandatory, but is Rice on the rise?

Here is our full betting example.

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 53.5 (over -106/under -114)

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

Rice

EJ Warner: Warner returned from injury against Navy to lead one of the bigger upsets of the Week 10 card, a 24-10 home win. Warner completed 70% of his passes with a touchdown and an interception in the win. Although his first year at Rice hasn’t gone well, Warner will look to end on a high note with another big win in AAC play.

Memphis

Seth Henigan: The senior quarterback is the engineer for a high-powered Memphis offense, but one that has struggled to close out wins this season, losing as a favorite by more than a touchdown twice this season. However, Henigan has performed well, passing for 2,532 yards with 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Memphis remains unreliable as a favorite this season, going 2-5 against the spread when facing FBS foes this season.

Meanwhile, Rice is entering his second game under interim head coach Pete Alamar, but the team has been on the rise for quite some time. The Owls have played four games in a row during BYE week (depending on how many you bet) and will once again be catching big numbers.

The Owls’ defense has been stout all season, but the offense has lagged. The team ranks in the top 10 in tackles for loss this season and ranks in the top 20 in yards allowed per play, which could keep this matchup tighter than the point spread would indicate.

Now, Rice’s offense remains mediocre, but the team is formidable on the ground and ranks in the top 30 in explosive rush rate while playing at a slow pace (105th in seconds per game). This is notable against Memphis, who rank outside the top 100 in explosive rush rate allowed and have allowed 40 or more in three straight games, failing to cover in all three coverages.

Rice can slow this game down and continue his upward trajectory, I’ll take the points.

CHOOSE: Rice +9.5

The game odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.

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