Tulane vs. Rice Odds
| Tulane Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -110 | 55 -105o / -115u | -400 |
| Rice Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -110 | 55 -105o / -115u | +310 |
The No. 22 Tulane Green Wave (6-1) head west to take on the Rice Owls (4-3) in an AAC matchup Saturday afternoon.
The Green Wave have lived up to the hype to this point, with many evaluators expecting them to be the class of the conference. Tulane is coming off a 35-28 victory over North Texas last week.
Rice is also having a solid season and enters off a blowout victory over Tulsa on the road. The Owls will look to build on that against the true top team in the AAC.
With such an intriguing matchup, can any value be found from a betting perspective? Let's look at our Tulane vs. Rice pick and prediction.
Tulane Green Wave
The Tulane Green Wave have been remarkable so far this season. Despite dealing with an abundance of injuries — notably to star quarterback Michael Pratt — the program has maintained its momentum.
Even with Pratt missing a few weeks, Tulane has managed to carry the 15th-best Pass Success Rate in the nation into this matchup.
This will be the real test for Rice because the Owls have struggled to generate a pass rush at times.
Tulane's offense is exceptionally pass-heavy, which makes sense considering its excellent receiving corps. Lawrence Keys III, Chris Brazzell II and Jha'Quan Jackson have all been terrific in recent weeks, and tight end Alex Bauman got in on the fun last week with two touchdowns.
The Green Wave have made the running game an afterthought in their offensive scheme for the better part of the season, but they ran the ball a season-high 46 times last week. This could be an interesting factor against a Rice team that has been decent against the run.
The Tulane defense has allowed more points than expected, which plays an enormous role in this game. Tulane has had tremendous difficulty defending the pass, despite grading out as one of the top teams in the nation against the run.
Rice Owls
The Rice Owls are one of the most underrated teams in the country and put experts on notice with a 42-10 win as a three-point underdog over Tulsa last week.
Rice is led by former top recruit JT Daniels, who is now starting for the fourth program of his collegiate career. He's having a tremendous season, as he's pacing the AAC in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns.
This offense hums, and it all starts with the passing game. Rice is 12th in the country in Pass Success Rate, which sets up favorably against a Tulane defense that ranks 90th in Pass Success Rate Allowed.
If the Owls can somewhat mitigate the Green Wave's offensive firepower through the air, they can stay in the fight with their own offense, as they rank 18th in the nation in Offensive Finishing Drives.
Tulane vs. Rice
Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Tulane and Rice match up statistically:
Tulane Offense vs. Rice Defense
 |  Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 95 | 55 | |
| Line Yards | 45 | 46 |  |
| Pass Success | 15 | 50 | |
| Havoc | 67 | 63 | |
| Finishing Drives | 66 | 54 | |
| Quality Drives | 25 | 86 | |
Rice Offense vs. Tulane Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 80 | 29 | |
| Line Yards | 114 | 47 | |
| Pass Success | 12 | 90 | |
| Havoc | 100 | 12 | |
| Finishing Drives | 18 | 55 | |
| Quality Drives | 61 | 36 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 82 | 74 |
| PFF Coverage | 87 | 95 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 39 | 121 |
| Middle 8 | 59 | 119 |
| Seconds per Play | 29.3 (106) | 30.5 (126) |
| Rush Rate | 61.1% (13) | 43.9% (119) |
Tulane vs Rice
Betting Pick & Prediction
Despite the lofty spread, this game should be pretty close. The Owls are coming off a massive road win and will carry that momentum back to their home field.
Tulane is an elite team, but the Owls will likely put points on the board because of their explosive passing offense and Tulane's lack of a robust passing defense.
However, my best bet is not on the spread.
Both offenses have clear edges through the air against the opposing defense, and as a result, I'm comfortable playing the over up to 54.5 points.
