The Rice Owls (5-7) take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-6) Saturday in the Lending Tree Bowl. Kickoff from Hancock Whitney Stadium is at 5:45 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Rice vs. Southern Miss odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Golden Eagles joined the Sunbelt conference this season as a dark horse candidate to win the conference title. They came up short of this goal but were still able to get to a bowl game. They know Rice well and have played in 8 seasons in a row prior to this game as members of Conference USA.
Rice comes into this game as the only team with a losing record to make a game this season. At 5-7, the academic aptitude of the Rice Owl roster meant that their APR was the highest in the country for those teams vying for the left-over bowl slot. Now they get to get 15 extra practices and a small paycheck to play in this game. While this is not an extraordinary game, any football is good football. Especially with the end of the season coming soon. So, watch and try to enjoy.
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