Rice vs Baylor NCAA Football Odds Analysis

Posted by Alex Murphy on Saturday,September 26, 2015 10:56, EDT in

The Rice Owls got an impressive win in Week 3 but will have their hands full in trying to cover the college football spread as insane 35-point road dogs against the high-scoring fourth-ranked Baylor Bears. Now, let’s find out if Rice has what it takes to bring home the bacon when they take to the gridiron at McLane Stadium on Saturday.

How To Bet the Owls vs Bears NCAA Football Odds & Game Info

When: Saturday, September 26, 3:00 PM ET
Where: McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas
NCAAF Odds: Baylor -35
Over/Under: 76

Taking A Sneak Peak at the Rice Owls and Baylor Bears

Rice picked up a solid 38-24 win over North Texas on Saturday to cash in as a 7-point road favorite as quarterback Driphus Jackson completed 29 of 39 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns while running back Jowan Davis added 102 rushing yards on 21 carries.

Baylor beat the hell out of overmatched Lamar in their 66-31 Week 3 win as quarterback Seth Russell completed 23 of 34 passes for 342 yards with four touchdowns, although he did toss three interceptions in the win. Elusive running back Shock Linwood added 130 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

My Expert Game Analysis and Betting Pick

51 percent of the betting public likes Rice to cover the spread as insane 35-point road underdogs while a whopping 68 percent of the betting public likes the Over 76 total points. For me, I agree with the majority of public bettors that believe the Rice Owls are the right pick to cover the college football betting line. First and foremost, Rice averages a healthy 40.7 points per game and while that’s almost 21.0 points per game fewer than Baylor, I like the fact that Rice only allows 1.3 points per game more than the Bears defensively.

More importantly, Baylor has not beaten Rice by 35 points in any of their last 10 meetings, although they have recorded a pair of 25-point wins and a 24-point victory over their last four wins over the Owls. Still, with Rice going 4-0 ATS in their last four games in the month of September, an even more impressive 13-3 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games.

I know the Baylor Bears are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against Conference USA teams, but the Bears are also 2-5 ATS in their last seven games following an SU win and 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall. I’m also going against the betting public with my Over/Under Total pick. The 76-point O/U Total is extremely high, seeing as how the Under is 6-2 in the Owls’ last eight games against Big 12 ballclubs and 9-3 in their last 12 games against a team with a winning record.

The Picks: Rice +35 Points/Under 76 Total Points