The Rice Owls take on the Charlotte 49ers in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, Sept. 18. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Rice is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -125. Charlotte, meanwhile, enters as a +1.5 underdog and comes in at +105 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 44.5 points.
Here’s my Rice vs. Charlotte prediction and college football picks for Thursday, September 18.
Rice vs Charlotte Prediction
- Rice vs. Charlotte Pick: Rice 1H Team Total Over 10.5 (+105 · DraftKings)
My Charlotte vs. Rice best bet is on the Owls to go over their first-half team total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Rice vs Charlotte Odds
| Rice Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -115 | 42.5 -112o / -108u | -125 |
| Charlotte Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -105 | 42.5 -112o / -108u | +105 |
- Rice vs Charlotte Spread: Rice -1.5, Charlotte +1.5
- Rice vs Charlotte Over/Under: 42.5 (-112o / -108u)
- Rice vs Charlotte Moneyline: Rice -125, Charlotte +105
Rice vs Charlotte College Football Betting Preview
Rice Owls Betting Preview
A 2-1 start for Rice is already above preseason expectations in the Scott Abell era.
The Owls upset Louisiana in Week 1 — although the Cajuns’ quarterback, Walker Howard, left early with an injury — and beat Prairie View A&M in Week 3.
The multiple approach on offense has afforded three ball-carriers to surpass 150 yards, but against FBS competition, Rice scored just 23 total points.
Quarterback Chase Jenkins and top running back Quinton Jackson haven’t been able to generate many explosive plays, as Rice ranks near the FBS bottom in explosiveness. It hasn’t converted on third and fourth downs often, either.
But a combination of taking their time on offense and slowing opponents on first and second downs has proven to be a successful defensive formula. It’s not pretty football, but it did lead to that Week 1 upset win.
That’s not to say the defense shouldn’t be given any flowers, though.
Linebacker Andrew Awe (three sacks, team-high 15 tackles) is making an early case to be considered for the all-conference roster come year’s end. The safety corps is strong, too, with Jack Kane and Peyton Stevenson anchoring the pass defense.
Now, the question remains: Is this all matchup-dependent?
Rice’s numbers on defense are certainly helped along by the absence of Howard for Louisiana and playing one of the FCS’s plodding middle teams in Prairie View A&M.
As we see more FBS foes, these numbers will regress, especially with Navy and UConn in the near future.
Charlotte 49ers Betting Preview
Charlotte is off to a 1-2 start to the Tim Albin era with two losses to in-state FBS foes and a 42-35 win over Monmouth, one of the FCS’s premier offenses.
While far from the front of Albin’s mind, Charlotte is 0-3 against the spread this season, due to a combined 14 points against FBS offenses and a defense that was diced in Week 3.
The team's offensive profile is almost comical. Outside of chunk passing plays, Charlotte hasn't gotten anything going.
The run game is nearly nonexistent, with zero current players topping 100 yards on the season. There's no push from the offensive line, nor protection in the pass game. When the offensive line falls apart, the only hope for the offense is to break an explosive play.
The Monmouth game skews Conner Harrell's season-long numbers. Outside of that, he hasn't broken 150 yards through the air or completed 60% of his passes. His average likely lands somewhere in between Weeks 1 and 2 vs. Week 3.
Charlotte's defensive line has plenty of size but lacks talent. Even against Monmouth, Charlotte lost the line of scrimmage battle on both sides.
Part of the problem is a constant reshuffling of that defensive line that has led to 11 players with at least 33 snaps, and none that grade better than replacement level in the Group of Five. Through three games, Charlotte logged just two total sacks from defensive linemen.
So, without a push on either side of the ball, Charlotte is in for a long season with boring finals.
Rice vs Charlotte Pick, Betting Analysis
It didn't take long for Charlotte to move off its opening number of +6.5. By Tuesday afternoon, the 49ers were lined as low as +2.5 at home.
With a total set at just 42.5 points (tied for lowest on the Week 4 board), the move toward the home underdog makes sense.
It's been four years since the home team last won this series, one that dates back to the Conference USA era. Rice lost on the road as a 15.5-point favorite in 2022, 56-23, and again last year as a five-point favorite, 21-20.
This season, Rice has been more successful in the first half than in the second.
With a new system — one that's not seen elsewhere in the FBS — teams take a minute to figure out the system and have successfully adjusted at halftime.
Rice scored 14 second-quarter points against Louisiana and then punted on five of its six second-half possessions. It also punted or turned the ball over on downs on its final five possessions against Houston. Against Prairie View A&M, 24 of Rice's 38 points came in the first half.
Abell's shotgun option system is unique, with plenty of early wrinkles. Those wrinkles fail to work when the base concepts fail to work, and teams have successfully countered second halves.
Defensive coordinator Kurt Mattix is a sharp mind who has overperformed with his 49ers roster. I'd expect him to make second-half counters Thursday night.
But in the meantime, I'm taking advantage of Rice's first-half success and taking over the Owls' first-half total.
Pick: Rice 1H TT Over 10.5 (+105 · DraftKings)
