The North Texas Mean Green and Rice Owls meet Saturday in college football action at Rice Stadium. Here’s a Rice vs North Texas Prediction. This article will include a Rice vs North Texas Pick.
North Texas Mean Green Betting Preview
The North Texas Mean Green beat UAB and Navy, and they play Temple next. North Texas has won 4 straight games. Drew Mestemaker is completing 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Wyatt Young and Cameron Dorner have combined for 1,398 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, while Landon Sides has 24 receptions.
The North Texas Mean Green ground game is averaging 182.3 yards per contest, and Caleb Hawkins leads the way with 933 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, North Texas is allowing 24.1 points and 375.8 yards per game. Trey Fields leads the North Texas Mean Green with 74 tackles, Keviyan Huddleston has 5 sacks and Kollin Lewis has 2 interceptions.
Rice Owls Betting Preview
The Rice Owls lost to Memphis, beat UAB, and will play USF next. The Rice Owls have split their last 10 games. Chase Jenkins is completing 69.7 percent of his passes for 885 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Drayden Dickmann and Aaron Turner have combined for 519 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, while Tyson Thompson has 8 receptions.
The Rice Owls ground game is averaging 211.1 yards per contest, and Quinton Jackson leads the way with 758 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, Rice is allowing 27.9 points and 362 yards per game. Andrew Awe leads the Rice Owls with 77 tackles, Tony Anyanwu has 5 sacks and Jack Kane has 1 interception.
Why the Rice Owls will win
- The underdog has won three of North Texas’ last four games at Rice Stadium.
- The team ranked 22nd in the AP Poll has lost five of its last six games.
- The team ranked 22nd in the AP Poll has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six games.
- Rice has covered the spread in five of its last six November games as an underdog.
Why the North Texas Mean Green will win
- North Texas has won each of its last nine games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Rice has lost each of its last four games against AP-ranked teams.
- North Texas has covered the spread in each of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Rice has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games as an underdog against teams from Texas.
- North Texas has won the first quarter in seven of its last eight games against conference opponents.
- Rice has lost the first half in each of its last five games against conference opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of the last six games between North Texas and Rice have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Each of North Texas’ last four road games have gone OVER the total points line.
Rice Owls Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 13, Aaron Turner ranks 20th amongst qualified players for catch rate (84.4%) this season.
North Texas Mean Green Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 13, Caleb Hawkins ranks T1st amongst FBS players for touchdowns (19) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Rice ranks 136th among FBS teams for red zone percentage against this season (100.0).
- Rice ranks 135th among FBS teams for passing yards per game this season (97.0).
- North Texas ranks 1st among FBS teams for points per game this season (45.3).
- North Texas has scored 45+ points in three road games this season – most of any FBS team.
Rice vs North Texas Prediction
Rice will be playing for 24 seniors, so there’s some reason to consider the points. The problem is, Rice is bad on both sides of the ball, and I’m not sure how the offense finds success. North Texas has the best scoring offense in the country, so this one can get out of hand quickly. North Texas has covered 8 of its last 10 games. North Texas is also undefeated on the road. There’s just not much appealing about Rice. North Texas has cashed tickets all year. I’m going to back North Texas on the road.