Rice vs Houston prediction, odds, pick for College Football Week 3
It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Rice-Houston prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Rice-Houston.
The quality of the Houston Cougars is up for debate after two weeks of play in the 2024 college football season. Houston has a new boss this year. Willie Fritz took over for Dana Holgorsen in H-Town. He inherited a roster which was not ready to win, but Fritz turned Tulane into a winner. The expectation is that, given enough time and resources in a big American city, Fritz can make Houston a force and a contender in the Big 12 Conference. In Week 2, Houston might have begun to give Fritz and anyone who believes in him fresh reason to think the Cougars are on their way up.
Week 1 was a rough scene for Houston, which got thrashed at home by UNLV. However, UNLV looks really good so far this season. The Rebels appear to be a frontline contender for the Group of Five championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. That loss looks better now than it did a week ago. That point has to be kept in mind when evaluating Houston on an overall level.
In Week 2, Houston definitely took a step forward as a football team. The Cougars very nearly defeated the Oklahoma Sooners on the road, falling 16-12 to one of the bigger brand-name programs in college football on the road. Houston thwarted Oklahoma’s offense all night long and — as a matter of fact — did not allow a single point to the Oklahoma offense in the second half. The only points Oklahoma scored after halftime were on a safety late in regulation. The OU offense was blanked by Houston’s defense in both the third and fourth quarters. Houston did not get the win, but that kind of defensive effort has to leave Fritz encouraged about the progress of his team and the potential it has. If Houston can play that level of defense for the remainder of the 2024 season, the Cougars are going to win some games, and they will have a chance to be good.
Here are the Rice-Houston College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Rice-Houston Odds
Rice: +4.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +150
Houston: -4.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -182
Over: 44.5 (-110)
Under: 44.5 (-110)
How to Watch Rice vs Houston
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Rice Could Cover The Spread/Win
Houston might have a good defense, but the Cougars’ offense is terrible. Seven points in Week 1 and 12 points in Week 2 are not a good look for the Cougars. That’s a grand total of 19 points in two games, translating into an average of fewer than 10 points scored per game. With an offense which is that bad, Houston can’t expect to cover the score against a lot of teams, Rice being one of them. Rice-Houston is an old Southwest Conference rivalry with deep roots in the city of Houston, where both schools are located. Rice will fight for this game tooth and nail, and there’s a decent chance this will be the kind of game which comes down to a late field goal, in which case Rice will cover the 4.5-point spread.
Why Houston Could Cover The Spread/Win
Willie Fritz has Houston playing great defense. Just a small pinch of offense should be enough for the Cougars to cover. They might win 20-13 or 17-10.
Final Rice-Houston Prediction & Pick
Willie Fritz merits trust, despite Houston’s lack of offense. We’re going to go with Houston one more time, convinced that the Coogs can play defense at a high level.
Final Rice-Houston Prediction & Pick: Houston -4.5
The post Rice vs Houston prediction, odds, pick for College Football Week 3 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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