The Rice Owls and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane meet in week 8 college football action from Chapman Stadium on Thursday night.

Rice Falls To UConn

The Rice Owls come into this game on the heels of a 38-31 loss to UConn, dropping to 3-3 on the year as a result. JT Daniels has thrown for 1,831 yards, 15 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on 63.6% passing while Dean Connors has rushed for 180 yards to lead the Owls on the ground. Luke McCaffrey has a team-high 30 receptions for 514 yards and 6 touchdowns while the aforementioned Connors has 24 receptions for 306 yards. Two more Owls have 200+ receiving yards while three more Rice receivers have 100+ receiving yards. On defense, Plae Wyatt has a team-high 42 total tackles while Coleman Coco and De’Braylon Carroll each have a team-high 2.5 sacks. As a unit, Rice has combined for 13 sacks and 2 interceptions this season.

Rice Owls Team Facts

• Rice has lost six of its last seven road games against conference opponents.
• The home team has covered the spread in four of Rice’s last five games.
• Five of Rice’s last six games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Tulsa Falls To FAU

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane come into this one on the heels of a 20-17 loss to FAU in their last matchup. Cardell Williams has thrown for 955 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on 60.8% passing while Anthony Watkins leads Tulsa in rushing with 367 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns and Jordan Ford has 240 rushing yards as well. Marquis Shoulders has a team-high 283 receiving yards with 5 touchdowns while Devan Williams has a team-high 19 receptions for 274 yards and 2 TDs and Kamdyn Benjamin has 222 receiving yards as well on the year. On defense, Kendarin Ray has a team-high 56 total tackles while Jaise Oliver has 3 interceptions and Ben Kopenski has a team-high 4.5 sacks.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Team Facts

• The favorite has won each of Tulsa’s last 10 games at Chapman Stadium.
• Tulsa has failed to cover the spread in each of its last seven October games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Six of Tulsa’s last seven October games as a home favorite against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Chris’ Pick

I’m leaning towards Rice here. I don’t love the Owls necessarily, but they’re built to exploit the weaknesses of Tulsa’s defense, while I can’t say the same about the Golden Hurricane against Rice’s defense. All in all, I think we have a fairly entertaining game, but I think there’s value here with Rice and the points.