UTEP vs. Rice Picks, Predictions College Football Week 10: Owls Favored at Home in Thursday Battle
UTEP and Rice are flirting with bowl eligibility, but each team is in great need of a Conference USA victory. Read on for our top UTEP-Rice picks for Week 10.
UTEP (4-5, 2-3 C-USA) has struggled on the road this season, with one win in its four road games. Last week's home loss to Middle Tennessee followed a stretch of three wins in four games.
Rice (4-4, 2-2 C-USA) has alternated wins and losses across the previous six weeks. The Owls are coming off their first home loss last week, a 56-23 drubbing instilled by Charlotte. Before that loss, Rice's previous three games were decided by a total of eight points.
Here are our top picks for Thursday's college football Week 10 game between UTEP and Rice (odds via PointsBet and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out all of our top college football picks for Week 10.
UTEP vs. Rice Game Info
Date: Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m. ET
TV: CBSSN
Location: Rice Stadium, Houston, TX
Weather: 80 degrees, 22% chance of precipitation, 13-mph SE wind
UTEP vs. Rice Odds
UTEP vs. Rice Odds Analysis
The consensus spread has shifted slightly in favor of the host Owls after opening at -3.5. As of Thursday morning, the consensus line favors Rice by 4 points. The move has come with 75% of the bets but just 51% of the handle on the home team.
The Over/Under has dropped from an opening line of 50 to 47.5 on game day. However, the Over has drawn 84% of the handle on a more modest 55% of the tickets. That suggest that the biggest bets and sharpest money is on the Over.
UTEP vs. Rice Picks
UTEP vs. Rice ATS Pick
UTEP +3.5 (-107) ★★
Rice had a stretch this season where it covered the spread in five consecutive games. Since then, the Owls narrowly beat Louisiana Tech in a game they were favored by 2.5 points and laid an egg last week in a 33-point loss to a 49ers team that they were favored to beat by 15.5 points. The loss to Charlotte is even more surprising, considering the 49ers were playing their first game after firing head coach Will Healy, who led them to one win in their first eight games. Rice was exposed for 514 total yards, as it could not handle Charlotte's up-tempo attack.
Owls quarterback TJ McMahon cannot be trusted to take care of the football, as he has thrown 11 interceptions in eight starts this season. He is the only C-USA quarterback with double-digit interceptions and is a big reason that Rice ranks 98th in finishing drives this season.
Though the Owls have more experience than the Miners in close games, losing in the fashion it did to the worst team in the conference is inexcusable. Thus, we are siding with UTEP to cover for just the second time in its last 10 road games at Rice.
UTEP vs. Rice O/U Pick
Under 50 (-107) ★★★★
McMahon and UTEP QB Gavin Hardison play behind two of the worst pass-blocking offensive lines in the conference. The two quarterbacks have each been sacked 21 times (tied for the most among C-USA quarterbacks) and, as a result, have two of the three worst TD-INT ratios in the league.
We will not be swayed by the fact that Rice allowed 56 points to Charlotte last week, its most since allowing 66 in the season opener to USC. The 49ers play at an unusually quick tempo (25.9 seconds per play entering last week ranked just outside the top 50 in the country), so we expect a bounceback from the Owls' defense in a game that will be played at a tempo they are more comfortable with (UTEP ranks 84th in pace).
Conversely, UTEP rarely puts itself in manageable third-down distances. The Miners rank in the top 30 in passing downs situations.
As Under backers, we are making this wager at PointsBet, which provides as much as 1.5 points worth of extra insurance on this total compared to other sportsbooks.
UTEP vs. Rice Prop Pick
First half Under 23.5 (+100) ★★ ★
UTEP ranks in the top 25 in the country in Havoc plays created, which is a big reason it held three of its previous five opponents to 24 or fewer points. The Under is 7-2 in UTEP's nine games and cashed in six of its last seven following a double-digit loss at home.
While the Over cashed in four of the previous five meetings between these teams, two slow-paced offenses will combine for a low-scoring first 30 minutes.
Where to Bet on UTEP vs. Rice Picks
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UTEP-Rice picks made 11/01/2022 at 6:09 a.m. ET.
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