Texas vs Rice Gambling Preview + Predictions
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Texas Longhorns at Rice Owls
Date: Saturday September 4 – 3:30 PM
Venue: Reliant Stadium
Matchup: Texas (0-0) vs Rice (0-0)
MoneyLine: No Money Line listed
ATS Line: Texas -30
Over/Under: 58.5 (odds supplied by BetUS)
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Texas
If Colt McCoy hadn’t gotten hurt in the championship game the Longhorns, not Alabama, might have gone home with the hardware. As it is, another season of high expectations begins in Austin and they were only made higher by the performance of their now starting QB, Garret Gilbert, in the second half of that championship game.
McCoy was all everything for Texas and now it appears they have a worthy successor who won’t be fazed by the big games on the schedule.
Despite their faith in Gilbert, this year the expectation is that Texas will feature the running game more than it has in a while.
It is easy to forget that this program has cranked out runners of the ilk of Ricky WIlliams, Cedric Benson and Jamaal Charles because it has been a while since they have had a productive feature back.
This year the carries are likely to be spread as the only leading rusher from last year not returning is McCoy (who was second on the team last year in rushing yards).
The Longhorns always run the ball well against weaker out of conference foes like Rice – they averaged 190 rushing yards out of conference last year compared to 148 for the season. 
While the offense is certainly capable of scoring against Rice at will this will be a chance for Texas to prove that its defense is again championship calibre led by sackmaster Sam Acho.
Last year the Longhorns gave up only 16.7 ppg and held three opponents to under 10 points.
Rice really struggled to score last year so I expect the Owls to have a hard time doing so in the opener. Texas has beaten Rice 38 of 39 times they have played. In each of the last 4 it has been with an average score of 53-10.
Rice
In 2008 the Rice Owls were an amazing 10-3. Possessing one of the most dynamic offenses in the country they averaged over 40ppg led by the pass and catch compo of Chase Clement and Jarret Dillard. After mass graduation losses they fell off the ledge last year winning only 2 of 12 games. The situation doesn’t look much better in 2010 and beginning the season against the mighty Longhorns of Texas is only just the beginning.
Rice can expect some improvement in QB play this year. Junior Nick Fanuzzi was a highly touted transfer from Alabama who received the majority of the playing time last year and performed pretty well in his first real game action.
While he returns, 3 of his top 4 receivers have moved on. They really need Pierre Beasley, a 6’3” matchup nightmare to excel. He was a top 50 recruit a few years ago but his production hasn’t matched his potential.
They need someone to step up and become a playmaker. He seems the most logical candidate.
Realistically, Rice has no chance to win this game. The best they can hope for is to take their lumps and use it as a learning experience to be applied to future C-USA games. The one area they might have some success (might!!) is in getting after Texas QB Gilbert.
Rice returns its two starting DEs and leading sackers Scott Solomon and Cheta Ozougwu. If they can get to the QB they might be able to disrupt a series or two.
Even if they can knock Gilbert out there is still little chance of an upset here.
The Pick: No chance for an upset here so the key is the final score. The key will be how long Texas leaves starters in the game.
They have the talent to win by 4 TD but more than that seems a little lofty.
If you have to platy take Rice and +30 – I think it might even go up towards kickoff.
The Pick:
No chance for an upset here so the key is the final score. The key will be how long Texas leaves starters in the game. They have the talent to win by 4 TD but more than that seems a little lofty.
If you have to play take Rice and +30 – I think it might even go up towards kickoff.
College Football Gambling Trends
Longhorns are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 vs. CUSA.
Longhorns are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
Owls are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games in September.
Owls are 7-19 ATS in their last 26 non-conference games.
Owls are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 vs. Big 12.
Texas vs. Rice Score Prediction: Texas 42 – Rice 13
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