Rice vs. Southern Miss Odds, Picks, Predictions College Football: Frank Gore Jr. Shines in LendingTree Bowl

Running back Frank Gore Jr. leads Southern Miss into its matchup against Rice in Saturday's LendingTree Bowl. Check out our top college football pick and prediction for the LendingTree Bowl between Rice and Southern Miss.

Rice (5-7) qualified for bowl season on the strength of its APR. Now that they’re here, the Owls could have trouble in the LendingTree Bowl against a capable Southern Miss (6-6) running game led by Frank Gore Jr.

Here is our best Rice vs. Southern Miss college football pick for the LendingTree Bowl (odds via PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Check out our college football best bets, as well as our best odds and picks for bowl season!

Rice vs. Southern Miss Game Info

Date: Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, 5:45 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
Weather: 73 degrees, 4% precipitation, 11-mph winds

Rice vs. Southern Miss Odds

Rice vs. Southern Miss Odds Analysis

Southern Miss has returned to being a 6.5-point favorite as of Saturday morning after the consensus opening line fluctuated slightly throughout the week. The Golden Eagles have drawn 65% of the betting handle on 56% of the tickets wagered on the spread.

There appears to be reverse line movement on the Over/Under. The consensus opening line of 49.5 is down to 45.5 despite the Over taking in 69% of the tickets and 55% of the handle.

Rice vs. Southern Miss Pick

Southern Miss -6.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a five-win season, Rice sneaks into the game thanks to a strong APR. The Owls are better in the classroom than on the football field, though, as Rice ranks outside the FBS top-100 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Though Southern Miss doesn’t rank particularly well in rushing volume, the ground efficiency of lead rusher Frank Gore Jr. is notable for this matchup. Gore Jr. averaged 5.1 yards per carry on the year and finished the season with his best performance in a 199-yard outing in which he averaged 8.3 YPC against Louisiana-Monroe. The Rice defense ranks 112th in FBS by allowing 4.9 YPC to opposing runners this season, giving Gore Jr. some runway to carry the Golden Eagles to a strong offensive showing.

Offensively, Rice ranks 102nd in efficiency, a woeful situation compounded by having its top-three quarterbacks on the injury report ahead of this game. If QB T.J. McMahon (questionable) can’t suit up to power the Rice passing offense, it’s hard to envision the Owls moving the football with regularity. USM has limited opposing run games to 3.9 YPC on the year.

Southern Miss went 9-3 ATS this season, covering in three out of five opportunities as a favorite. A capable ground game and the No. 45 defensive efficiency in FBS should pair to create an environment for a comfortable win over the undermanned Owls.

Rice vs. Southern Miss Best Odds

PointsBet (-110)

FanDuel, PointsBet and BetMGM all check in with an identical line of Southern Miss -6.5 paired with standard -110 odds while DraftKings is down to -6 (-115). Caesars offers the same -6.5 line but with more juice to -115, making it the obvious book to avoid for this play.

PointsBet is the superior option if you're willing to wait until just before game time to pull the trigger; with Rice +6.5 listed at -106, there's a chance that more money on the underdog could result in a shift to -108/-108.

Rice-Southern Miss pick made 12/15/2022 at 3 p.m. ET.

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