Texas State vs. Rice Prediction, Odds, Picks - January 2, 2026

Updated Jan. 2, 2026 9:04 a.m. ET

FOX Sports

The Texas State Bobcats are heavy, 17.5-point favorites as they enter a showdown against the Rice Owls in the Armed Forces Bowl on January 2, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. The contest has an over/under of 55.5 points.

Last time around, the Bobcats defeated the South Alabama Jaguars, with 49-26 being the final score. In their most recent game, the Owls lost versus the South Florida Bulls, 52-3.

Keep up with college football all season on FOX Sports.

Texas State vs. Rice Game Information & Odds

When: Friday, January 2, 2026 at 1 p.m. ET
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FOX One + ESPN Bundle

Texas State vs Rice Betting Information updated as of January 2, 2026, 8:45 a.m. ET.
Favorite	Spread (Odds)	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Total	Over Moneyline	Under Moneyline
Texas State	-17.5 (-109)	-813	+557	55.5	-108	-113

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Texas State vs. Rice Prediction

Pick ATS: Rice (+17.5)
Pick OU: Over (55.5)
Prediction: Texas State 38, Rice 22

Predictions are made by the Data Skrive betting model.

Learn more about the Texas State Bobcats vs. the Rice Owls game on FOX Sports!

Texas State vs. Rice Betting Insights

Based on the spread and over/under, the implied score for the game is Bobcats 36, Owls 19.
The Bobcats have an 89.0% chance to win this game per the moneyline's implied probability. The Owls have a 15.2% implied probability.
Texas State has compiled a 4-8-0 ATS record so far this year.
Rice has put together a 5-7-0 record against the spread this season.

Texas State vs. Rice: 2025 Stats Comparison

	Texas State	Rice
Off. Points per Game (Rank)	36.1 (25)	19.8 (119)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)	30.6 (102)	32.3 (115)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)	16 (63)	8 (3)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)	9 (122)	6 (133)

Texas State 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Brad Jackson	QB	3,049 YDS (71.3%) / 18 TD / 7 INT 692 RUSH YDS / 16 RUSH TD / 57.7 RUSH YPG
Lincoln Pare	RB	1,023 YDS / 11 TD / 85.3 YPG / 5.1 YPC 36 REC / 305 REC YDS / 2 REC TD / 25.4 REC YPG
Beau Sparks	WR	80 REC / 1,113 YDS / 9 TD / 92.8 YPG
Chris Dawn Jr.	WR	54 REC / 931 YDS / 2 TD / 84.6 YPG
Treylin Payne	LB	83 TKL / 2 TFL / 2 SACK
Bobby Crosby	DB	56 TKL / 4 TFL / 2 SACK / 1 INT
Kalil Alexander	DL	39 TKL / 7 TFL / 4 SACK
Ryan Nolan	DB	62 TKL / 1 TFL

Rice 2025 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Chase Jenkins	QB	1,025 YDS (69.2%) / 9 TD / 2 INT 531 RUSH YDS / 5 RUSH TD / 44.3 RUSH YPG
Quinton Jackson	RB	811 YDS / 6 TD / 67.6 YPG / 4.9 YPC 4 REC / 74 REC YDS / 1 REC TD / 24.7 REC YPG
Aaron Turner	WR	53 REC / 374 YDS / 3 TD / 31.2 YPG
Daelen Alexander	RB	392 YDS / 3 TD / 43.6 YPG / 5.3 YPC
Andrew Awe	LB	68 TKL / 5 TFL / 2.5 SACK
Ty Anthony Morris	LB	48 TKL / 4 TFL / 2.5 SACK
Tony Anyanwu	DL	40 TKL / 3 TFL / 5 SACK
Marcus Williams	DB	48 TKL / 1 TFL