Texas State vs. Rice Prediction, Odds, Picks - December 26

Updated Dec. 26, 2023 3:04 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

The First Responder Bowl features a matchup between the Rice Owls (who are 3.5-point underdogs) and the Texas State Bobcats on December 26, 2023 at 5:30 PM ET on ESPN. The over/under is 59.5 for this matchup.

Last time around, the Bobcats defeated the South Alabama Jaguars, with 52-44 being the final score. Facing the Florida Atlantic Owls in their most recent game, the Owls won 24-21.

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Texas State vs. Rice Game Information & Odds

When: Tuesday, December 26, 2023 at 5:30 PM ET
Location: Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park, Texas
TV: ESPN
Live boxscore on FOX Sports

Texas State vs Rice Betting Information updated as of December 26, 2023, 2:45 PM ET.
Favorite	Spread (Odds)	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline	Total	Over Moneyline	Under Moneyline
Texas State	-3.5 (-111)	-173	+145	59.5	-111	-109

Texas State vs. Rice Prediction

Pick ATS: Rice (+3.5)
Pick OU: Over (59.5)
Prediction: Rice 33, Texas State 28

Learn more about the Texas State Bobcats vs. the Rice Owls game on FOX Sports!

Texas State vs. Rice Betting Insights

Based on the spread and over/under, the implied score for the game is Bobcats 32, Owls 28.
The Bobcats have a 63.4% chance to claim victory in this contest per the moneyline's implied probability. The Owls have a 40.8% implied probability.
Texas State has put together a 5-6-0 record against the spread this season.
Rice has covered seven times in 11 games with a spread this season.

Texas State vs. Rice: 2023 Stats Comparison

	Texas State	Rice
Off. Points per Game (Rank)	36.0 (23)	30.3 (54)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)	33.8 (116)	26.7 (62)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)	21 (106)	19 (84)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)	15 (89)	12 (115)

Texas State 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
TJ Finley	QB	3,188 YDS (68.6%) / 24 TD / 8 INT 92 RUSH YDS / 5 RUSH TD / 7.7 RUSH YPG
Ismail Mahdi	RB	1,209 YDS / 10 TD / 100.8 YPG / 6.1 YPC 18 REC / 177 REC YDS / 1 REC TD / 14.8 REC YPG
Joey Hobert	WR	71 REC / 847 YDS / 8 TD / 70.6 YPG
Kole Wilson	WR	61 REC / 697 YDS / 8 TD / 58.1 YPG
Brian Holloway	LB	84 TKL / 10.0 TFL / 1.5 SACK / 2 INT
Ben Bell	DE	44 TKL / 12.0 TFL / 8.0 SACK
Shawn Holton	S	68 TKL / 0.0 TFL / 1 INT / 1 PD
Kaleb Culp	S	58 TKL / 0.0 TFL

Rice 2023 Key Players

Name	Position	Stats
Luke McCaffrey	WR	68 REC / 963 YDS / 12 TD / 80.3 YPG
JT Daniels	QB	2,443 YDS (63.1%) / 21 TD / 7 INT -65 RUSH YDS / 1 RUSH TD / -5.4 RUSH YPG
Dean Connors	RB	707 YDS / 5 TD / 58.9 YPG / 6.7 YPC 42 REC / 395 REC YDS / 3 REC TD / 32.9 REC YPG
Juma Otoviano	RB	312 YDS / 4 TD / 26.0 YPG / 3.7 YPC
Plae Wyatt	S	60 TKL / 3.0 TFL / 1.0 SACK
Myron Morrison	LB	58 TKL / 1.0 TFL / 1.0 SACK
Sean Fresch	CB	43 TKL / 2.0 TFL / 1.0 SACK
Gabe Taylor	S	40 TKL / 1.0 TFL / 1.0 SACK / 2 INT