Rice vs. Sam Houston Prediction, Odds, Picks - August 31, 2024

Updated Aug. 31, 2024 3:04 p.m. ET

FOX Sports

The Sam Houston Bearkats (0-0) are 9-point underdogs on Saturday, August 31, 2024 against the Rice Owls (0-0). The over/under is 49.5.

Last year the Owls lost the First Responder Bowl after finishing 6-7 in the regular season. Offensively, they averaged 29.5 points per game (56th in college football), and they gave up 28.1 per game (83rd in college football) on defense. The Bearkats went 3-9 last year and failed to qualify for a bowl game. They scored 20 points per game (118th in college football) and gave up 26.2 (64th).

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Rice vs. Sam Houston Game Information & Odds

When: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Live Box Score on FOX Sports

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Rice vs Sam Houston Betting Information updated as of August 31, 2024, 2:47 p.m. ET.
Favorite	Spread (Odds)	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Total	Over Moneyline	Under Moneyline
Rice	-9 (-110)	-360	+279	49.5	-110	-110

Rice vs. Sam Houston Prediction

Pick ATS: Sam Houston (+9)
Pick OU: Over (49.5)
Prediction: Rice 29, Sam Houston 22

Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.

Learn more about the Rice Owls vs. the Sam Houston Bearkats game on FOX Sports!

Rice vs. Sam Houston Betting Insights

Per the spread and over/under, the implied score for the matchup is Owls 29, Bearkats 20.
The Owls have a 78.3% chance to win this contest based on the moneyline's implied probability. The Bearkats have a 26.4% implied probability.
Rice covered seven times in 12 chances against the spread last season.

Rice vs. Sam Houston: 2023 Stats Comparison

	Rice	Sam Houston
Off. Points per Game (Rank)	29.5 (54)	20 (119)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)	28.1 (92)	26.2 (55)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)	25 (126)	15 (34)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)	12 (117)	20 (38)

Rice 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Luke McCaffrey	WR	71 REC / 992 YDS / 13 TD / 76.3 YPG
Dean Connors	RB	771 YDS / 7 TD / 59.3 YPG / 6.4 YPC 43 REC / 403 REC YDS / 3 REC TD / 31 REC YPG
JT Daniels	QB	2,443 YDS (63.1%) / 21 TD / 7 INT -65 RUSH YDS / 1 RUSH TD / -5 RUSH YPG
Juma Otoviano	RB	326 YDS / 4 TD / 25.1 YPG / 3.5 YPC
Plae Wyatt	DB	81 TKL / 2 TFL / 1 SACK
Myron Morrison	LB	79 TKL / 0 TFL / 1 SACK
Gabe Taylor	DB	57 TKL / 1 TFL / 1 SACK / 2 INT
De'Braylon Carroll	DL	46 TKL / 7 TFL / 3 SACK

Sam Houston 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Keegan Shoemaker	QB	2,507 YDS (63%) / 15 TD / 11 INT 254 RUSH YDS / 1 RUSH TD / 21.2 RUSH YPG
Noah Smith	WR	79 REC / 783 YDS / 6 TD / 65.3 YPG
John Gentry	RB	391 YDS / 3 TD / 32.6 YPG / 3.3 YPC 35 REC / 261 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 21.8 REC YPG
Malik Phillips	WR	35 REC / 430 YDS / 1 TD / 35.8 YPG
Trevor Williams	LB	133 TKL / 6 TFL / 1.5 SACK / 2 INT
Kavian Gaither	LB	72 TKL / 4 TFL / 1 SACK / 1 INT
Da'Marcus Crosby	DB	54 TKL / 1 TFL / 4 INT / 5 PD
Caleb Weaver	DB	49 TKL / 1 TFL / 2 INT / 2 PD