Rice vs. Louisiana Tech Odds, Picks: Why to Play the Over

Rice vs. Louisiana Tech Odds

Saturday, Oct. 22

3 p.m. ET

ESPN+

Rice Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-2.5 -115	57.5 -110o / -110u	-142

Louisiana Tech Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+2.5 -105	57.5 -110o / -110u	+118

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute college football odds here.

Rice has been one of the most surprising teams through the mid-point of the season. The Owls look to improve their record to 2-1 in Conference USA play as they travel to face off against Louisiana Tech.

Rice opened with a regular-season win total of just three games before the 2022 campaign. At the halfway point, the Owls are 3-3 with upset victories over UAB and Louisiana.

The program has been a cash cow for bettors, covering the spread in its last five games by an average margin of 17 points per game.

Louisiana Tech is 2-4 on the season, and it’s been feast or famine for the Bulldogs. The program's two victories over Stephen F. Austin and UTEP have come by double digits.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs' four losses have all come by 20 or more points.

There is value in the total in this Conference USA matchup as the two defenses will struggle to find stops.

Rice Owls

Rice has been an underdog in all five of its FBS matchups this season, but has been impressive enough to be a favorite in this matchup.

That speaks volumes for how bad the Louisiana Tech defense has been.

Rice owns a well-balanced offense that is averaging 3.7 yards per carry this season. The Owls rank 64th in EPA per Rush and 40th in Explosive Rushing.

Running back Ari Broussard has a nose for the end zone, finding a touchdown in every game this season.

Now they match up against a Bulldogs defensive front that allowed an astonishing 10 yards per carry last week to North Texas.

The Owls' passing attack is averaging 7.5 yards per pass attempt. Quarterback TJ McMahon has thrown 10 touchdowns on the season while completing 60% of his passes.

But turnovers have been costly, as McMahon has three separate games where he has thrown three interceptions.

The Rice secondary will have its hands full trying to slow down opposing quarterback Parker McNeil. The Owls rank 81st in the nation in Coverage and 118th in Tackling, per PFF. That could make for a long day against a LA Tech passing attack that has been electric this season.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Louisiana Tech boasts just a 2-4 record this season, which is not due to a lack of offense. The Bulldogs pass the ball at the 12th-highest rate in the country and are averaging over 315 passing yards per game.

McNeil has been trying to single-handily carry this program while averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt.

The Owls' passing attack ranks inside the top 10 in explosive passes. That unit should thrive against a Rice secondary that ranks 77th in the same statistic.

But the reason this program has struggled through the first half of the season is the defense is one of the worst in the country. The Bulldogs rank outside the top 100 in Explosiveness Allowed and EPA/Play. The Bulldogs are allowing a horrid seven yards per play, which ranks 128th in the country.

The defense sits dead last in the country — allowing 6.9 yards per carry — and is allowing 287 rushing yards per contest to FBS foes. The inability to stop opposing rushing attacks has left the secondary vulnerable.

The team's safeties and corners are letting up 7.4 yards per pass attempt.

It all starts with the inability to make tackles, where the defense ranks 130th in the country, per PFF.

Rice vs. Louisiana Tech Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Rice and Louisiana Tech match up statistically:

Rice Offense vs. Louisiana Tech Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	84	127
Line Yards	84	124
Pass Success	62	40
Pass Blocking**	120	118
Havoc	99	110
Finishing Drives	101	83
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

Louisiana Tech Offense vs. Rice Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	90	129
Line Yards	122	26
Pass Success	83	75
Pass Blocking**	104	63
Havoc	113	55
Finishing Drives	105	102
** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.)

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	118	130
PFF Coverage	81	70
SP+ Special Teams	28	105
Seconds per Play	30.6 (126)	26.7 (73)
Rush Rate	53.2% (68)	46.1% (111)

Data via CollegeFootballData.com (CFBD), FootballOutsiders, SP+, Pro Football Focus and SportSource Analytics.

Rice vs. Louisiana Tech Betting Pick

I’m shocked the total in any game that features Louisiana Tech is below 60. This defense has been one of the worst in the nation, allowing seven yards per play. The group is allowing over 525 yards of total offense per game against its FBS opponents this season.

The Louisiana Tech offense has been electric behind McNeil. He’s averaging 265 passing yards per game and is coming off of a 425-yard performance against North Texas.

Though both programs don’t play at the fastest pace, that will be made up for by the lack of defenses. Both groups rank outside the top 100 in tackling, and there will be very few defensive stops in this matchup.

I make this total 10 full points above what the current betting line is at. I will continue to play over in Louisiana Tech games until sportsbooks start adjusting to this horrific defense.

Pick: Over 57.5 (Play to 62.5)

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