The Rice Owls (3-6, 2-3 AAC) take on the Memphis Tigers (7-2, 3-2 AAC) on Friday night in American Conference action. The game kicks off at 9:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPN2. Memphis comes in as a nine-point favorite, with the over/under set at 53.5.
Rice vs Memphis Prediction
My Memphis vs Rice best bet is for the Owls to stay under their team total and score fewer than 21.5 points.
Rice vs Memphis Odds
| Rice Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | +272 |
| Memphis Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9 -110 | 52.5 -110 / -110 | -345 |
- Rice vs Memphis Point Spread: Rice +9 (-110) · Memphis -9 (-110)
- Rice vs Memphis Total: Over/Under 52.5
- Rice vs Memphis Moneyline: Rice +272 · Memphis -345
Rice vs Memphis Preview
Rice Owls Betting Preview: Can Owls Win Again?
Rice rallied the troops in a big way last week after the firing of head coach Mike Bloomgren.
The Owls pulled out a shocking 24-10 upset over Navy. The game was delayed over five hours due to inclement weather, but once the game resumed, Rice went right down the field for touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter.
The Owls' defense stole the show as Navy never threatened and only amassed 260 yards of offense. Rice's run defense was keyed in on the option all night as the Middies achieved only 140 rush yards on a 3.5 yards per carry average.
Memphis Tigers Betting Preview: Tigers Need to Get Back on Track
Memphis is coming off a shocking 44-36 road loss to UTSA. This was expected to be a highly anticipated AAC showdown as these teams were pre-season AAC favorites, but both have underachieved in conference play this season.
It was shocking to see Memphis surrender a 24-14 second quarter as UTSA scored the next 30 points to take firm control of the game.
During that stretch, Memphis failed to score on nine straight possessions and was stopped on downs four times.
Rice vs Memphis
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Rice and Memphis match up statistically:
Rice Offense vs. Memphis Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 91 | 44 | |
| Line Yards | 84 | 13 | |
| Pass Success | 121 | 66 | |
| Havoc | 85 | 8 | |
| Finishing Drives | 104 | 81 | |
| Quality Drives | 116 | 43 | |
Memphis Offense vs. Rice Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 55 | 33 | |
| Line Yards | 65 | 74 | |
| Pass Success | 84 | 24 | |
| Havoc | 23 | 29 | |
| Finishing Drives | 28 | 21 | |
| Quality Drives | 22 | 23 |  |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 6 | 97 |
| PFF Coverage | 11 | 88 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 112 | 56 |
| Middle 8 | 104 | 102 |
| Seconds per Play | 26.5 (50) | 27.9 (90) |
| Rush Rate | 38% (131) | 45% (118) |
Rice vs Memphis Pick & Prediction
This is a buy-low, sell-high situation for both teams. Memphis' defense isn't as bad as it played last week and I don’t think Rice is as good as we saw last week. I am going to grab the Rice Team Total at Under 21.5.
Despite the recent uninspiring play, Memphis is solid defensively — ranking 38th in Defensive Success Rate and fifth in Defensive Havoc. The run defense has been solid for most of the year holding, teams to just 115.7 yards per game and a 3.9 yard per carry average.
Rice has struggled in standard down situations, ranking just 99th in Offensive Standard Down Success Rate. Over the past three weeks, Rice has averaged just 101 yards per game on the ground.
Memphis should be able to stop Rice's ground game and force the Owls into undesirable pass situations. Rice's offense ranks just 18th in Pass Play EPA Per Play and 126th in Pass Play Success Rate. The Owls are limited in their explosiveness as they don't have a receiver averaging more than 12 yards per reception on the season.
Rice has also struggled on third downs, converting just 34.5%. The Memphis defense forces teams into third down situations frequently and has seen the opposition convert just 35% of the time.
Rice struggles in the red zone, scoring touchdowns on just 15-of-28 attempts with five of those touchdowns coming against FCS bottom feeder Texas Southern. Against FBS competition, Rice is averaging 16 points per game. Oh, and that drops when on the road, where Rice is 0-4 and averaging just 10.2 points per game.
Memphis' offense is playing at a much slower pace this season and averaging nearly 34 minutes of time of possession. The Tigers have made a concerted effort to run the ball more and when the game is on the line, I expect Memphis to control the line of scrimmage.
I expect a low-scoring game and feel we're getting value on a higher-than-normal team total for Rice. So, I'll take the under.
Pick: Rice Team Total Under 21.5
Rice vs Memphis Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How To Watch
| Location: | Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, TN |
| Date: | Friday, Nov. 8 |
| Kickoff Time: | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN2 |
Rice vs Memphis will be played at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Friday, Nov. 8, at 9 p.m. ET. You can stream the game live on ESPN2.
