Florida Atlantic Owls vs Rice Owls Point Spread Picks

Rice returned only three starters on offense and it has shown as the Owls are averaging just 13.5 points against FBS schools, including a 21-13 loss to Navy last week. The Owls were scoreless in the first half and didn't reach the end zone until the middle of the fourth quarter. Chase Jenkins went 12-for-21 for 114 yards for Rice, which is 1-6 ATS off a loss against a team off two straight losses. Florida Atlantic is 10-3 ATS its past 13 games as an underdog of at least five points versus a team off a loss. Caden Veltkamp threw for 318 yards with no interceptions for FAU against Memphis last week. Easton Messer had nine receptions for 131 yards and Jayshon Platt caught nine for 101 yards. Rice is dead last in the country in passing yards averaging only 84.4 per game and only 11 schools have fewer total yards per game. Three plays for you here: Take Florida Atlantic ATS, bet them on the moneyline for a half-unit, and play the UNDER.

Rice is off a bye week playing well with a winning record. They've won three of four after losing the opener at USC. The only other loss was 34-27 at Houston as a 17-point underdog. In the last four games, the defense is allowing 22.2 points per game while QB T.J. McMahon has thrown 9 TDs, 4 INTs. They come off a 28-24 win over UAB as a double-digit underdog, rallying from a 17-7 halftime deficit. They also have a 33-21 win over Louisiana as a +11 dog with an edge in yards of 449-175. Florida Atlantic has lost three in a row surrendering 40, 28, and 45 points. In six games, they've allowed over 40 points three times and have lost two as a favorite. They come off a 45-28 defeat to North Texas as a field-goal favorite surrendering 481 yards (300 rushing). The visitors match up well and the wagering value is for them to pull another upset. Play Rice on the moneyline.

Rice has never been a consistent program. They seem to rise up as they did from 2012-2014 in winning 25 games, but are back down again at just 6-14 since, including 1-7 this year. A quick look over the last five years points to the key reason why. The Owls offense has eroded steadily over the last five years with this sequence of points scored, going down each year from 31.8, 29.6, 28.8, 26.1, to the current 24.4, as this is the worst offense in half of a decade. Unfortunately, Florida Atlantic is even worse offensively, producing just 20 points per game on the season. That may be generous, because the Owls are actually producing just 17.4 points per game against FBS competition. While the defenses here are not that great, neither offense has the tools to take advantage. Someone is going to have to get in the 30s to put this one over the top, something that isn't likely from two terrible offensive teams. This one stays UNDER.

The Rice offense has been going backwards since the start of the season. They scored just 17 points vs. Baylor two games back, and just 10 vs. Western Kentucky last week. That may not leave them in such bad shape here as FAU has faltered in much the same way. The Owls have managed just 52 points over their last three games, at 17.3 points per game. The total here is set at just shy of 60, and I just don't see any way this one gets there, as these teams should expect to be in the low twenties. Rice has mired themselves into a pattern of following a low offensive output with another and are now 4-1 to the UNDER in their last five after scoring 20 points or less in their previous contest. The Owls have registered a 13-6-1 mark to the UNDER in their last 20 at home vs. a team with a losing road record. Make the play on the UNDER.