The Rice Owls and Florida Atlantic Owls meet Saturday in week 8 college football action at Flagler Credit Union Stadium. Here’s a FAU vs. Rice Prediction. This article will include a FAU vs. Rice Pick.
Rice Owls Betting Preview
The Rice Owls lost to Tulsa and East Carolina and will play North Texas next. The Rice Owls have lost 6 straight games. Jacurri Brown is completing 48.2 percent of his passes for 478 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Barry Jackson Jr. and Jordan Clark have combined for 325 receiving yards and 1 touchdown, while Ben Grice has 6 receptions.
The Rice Owls’ ground game is averaging 238.9 yards per contest, and Jacurri Brown leads the way with 669 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, Rice is allowing 29 points and 371.9 yards per game. AJ Brown leads the Rice Owls with 51 tackles, Chibby Nwajuaku has 2 sacks, and Jerrick Harper has 1 interception.
Florida Atlantic Owls Betting Preview
The Florida Atlantic Owls beat Texas Southern, lost to Army, and they play North Texas next. The Florida Atlantic Owls have won 4 of their last 5 games. Caden Veltkamp is completing 72.2 percent of his passes for 1,745 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Kelby Valsin and Easton Messer have combined for 1,148 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, while Dominique Henry has 28 receptions.
The Florida Atlantic Owls’ ground game is averaging 115 yards per contest, and Ethan Ervin leads the way with 361 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, FAU is allowing 31.5 points and 416.5 yards per game. Joseph Sipp Jr. leads the Florida Atlantic Owls with 41 tackles, Josh Roberts has 1.5 sacks, and Bo Simpson-Nealy has 2 interceptions.
Why the Florida Atlantic Owls will win
- The favorite has won each of Rice’s last 12 games.
- Rice has lost each of its last 10 games as an underdog.
- Florida Atlantic has covered the spread in each of its last six games as a favorite.
- Rice has failed to cover the spread in eight of its last 10 games as an underdog.
- Florida Atlantic has won the first quarter in each of its last six games as a home favorite.
- Rice has lost the first half in each of its last 10 games against conference opponents.
Why the Rice Owls will win
- Florida Atlantic has lost 17 of its last 22 games against conference opponents.
- Florida Atlantic has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games as a favorite against teams from Texas.
- Rice has won the first quarter in three of its last four games as an underdog.
- The road team has won the first half in four of Rice’s last five games.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of Florida Atlantic’s last eight October games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
- Five of Rice’s last six October games as a road underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
Florida Atlantic Owls Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 8, Kelby Valsin leads the American Conference for receptions (47) this season.
Rice Owls Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 8, Jacurri Brown leads Rice for touchdowns (6) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Florida Atlantic ranks 136th among FBS teams for Q4 points per game this season (2.8).
- Florida Atlantic ranks 4th among FBS teams for H1 points per game this season (25.5).
- Rice ranks 136th among FBS teams for passing yards per game this season (79.7).
- Rice ranks 134th among FBS teams for Q3 points per game this season (1.9).
FAU vs Rice Prediction
FAU has done a fine job of beating up on the teams it’s supposed to beat, and it’s covered 7 of its last 10 games. FAU has covered each of its last 7 games as a favorite. Rice doesn’t win games or cover numbers consistently, and despite having a top-10 rushing attack, it doesn’t score points. Rice is a bad football team, and you can argue this line should be steeper than it is. FAU should continue to thrive as a favorite and win at home by double-digit points.