Houston Cougars vs Rice Owls

Rice got off to an ominous start when they lost to Sam Houston St. 34-14 at home in their opener. They quickly got redemption vs Texas Southern the following week in a 69-7 blowout win. The Owls are 8-3 ATS in ther last 11 games. Houston appears to have one of their weakest teams in a long time. They have started 0-2, scoring just 12 points in a loss to Oklahoma, after losing to a UNLV team by 20 points at home. Houston showed signs of a diminishing offense last year as the Cougars scored 17 or fewer points five times. The Cougars are now 4-10 in their last 14 games. Remember, Rice beat them last year to snap a seven-game losing streak against Houston. Houston has fallen swiftly, and I like Rice.

I think the Houston Cougars were challenged and felt disrespected last week as they were posted as a home underdog against UT San Antonio. The Cougars sent a clear message, Our defense is going to stop your offense and turn you over. That was the aftermath of a 17-14 upset win. That brings us to Rice who had a tough time on offense vs. a very good Texas defense as the Owls were held to 10 points, 176 total yards, and turned the ball over three times. There is no doubt the best unit on the field by far will be the Houston defense, Rice struggled to that effect last week, and I don't see that changing this week. Make the play on Houston.

Dana Holgersen opened the season with an interesting game vs. Texas Tech. It was a good measuring stick for both teams, but Houston was in the game at halftime, and the wheels fell completely off as the Cougars were a no-show in the second half where they were out-scored 31-0. That had to be painful for fans, players, and certainly the coaching staff. It was just the opposite for Rice. They held a 17-7 lead over Arkansas, and it looked like they were about to pull an eye-opening upset. The problem was Arkansas finally woke up and scored the last 31 points of the game. This week, look for Houston to be playing with a chip on its shoulder, and Rice is in the way. Last week has had way too much influence on the line here, and I like Houston with a comfortable win and cover. Play Houston.