There was never a doubt for the Info Plays team that with their bowl picks this season they were going to take Rice as their blowout game of the year. Sometimes the bowl game odds feature a team that should just flat out be favored by a lot more points than they are, and this was one of those cases. Take a look at why these guys were so big on the Owls last night:
10* Bowl BLOWOUT of the YEAR on Rice -2.5
Reasons why Rice covers the spread Tuesday:
1.) Rice is led by senior QB Chase Clement and senior WR Jarrett Dillard who are perhaps the best senior duo in the country. Leading Rice into Tuesday’s showdown is the potent trio of Clement, wide receiver Jarrett Dillard and multi-talented tight end James Casey, who set a Conference USA single-season record with 104 receptions this year, which ranks second in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Clement ranks sixth in the FBS in passing yards (3,812) and fourth in touchdowns with 41. Dillard, who hauled in 79 catches for 1,224 yards, led the FBS with 19 TD receptions.
2.) Home-field advantage for Rice. The Texas Bowl is played down in Houston, Texas which is a very familiar place for Rice. The Owls play the Houston Cougars annually in C-USA play. Also the Rice campus is not far from Houston and the Owls will clearly have more fans at this game in support. Rice is aiming for their first 10-win season since 1949 and they are not about to be denied of that feat.
3.) System Play. We’ll Play Against – All teams where the line is +3 to -3 (W MICHIGAN) – after 1 or more consecutive losses against the spread, good team, winning 60-80% or more of their games on the season. This is a 94-63 ATS System hitting 59.9% over the last 5 seasons. Western Michigan is coming off a 23-point loss to Ball State, and they are going to be lacking confidence heading into this game. Rice is coming off a huge 56-42 win over Houston as an underdog, and they’ll come in the more confident team. Bet Rice in the Texas Bowl in a B-L-O-W-O-U-T.