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Rice vs. Southern Mississippi Prediction and Odds for LendingTree Bowl (Frank Gore Jr. Runs Golden Eagles to Cover)

By Josh Yourish

Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Will Hall talks to Frank Gore jr. (3)
Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Will Hall talks to Frank Gore jr. (3) / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
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It’s officially college football bowl season, and this weekend it’s full steam ahead.

Southern Mississippi finished the year 6-6 and will face the 5-7 Rice Owls this Saturday down in Mobile, Alabama.

The Owls are bowl eligible because there weren’t enough six-win teams to fill out the 82 team field. They'll play the Golden Eagles regardless, giving us another chance to bet on college football before it’s gone for the next eight months or so. 

Here’s what Vegas thinks about this upcoming LendingTree Bowl matchup: 

Rice vs. Southern Mississippi Odds, Spread and Total

Rice and Southern Mississippi Betting Trends

  • Southern Mississippi is 8-3-1 ATS
  • Rice is 7-5 ATS
  • The Over is 8-4 in Rice’s games
  • Rice is 1-5 away from home
  • Southern Miss is 7-0 ATS in last seven non-conference games

Rice vs. Southern Mississippi Prediction and Pick

Southern Miss kind of limped their way to the finish line of the season as they lost three of their final four. In their most recent game, however, there was a 20-10 win over Louisiana Monroe.

Frank Gore Jr. was the star in that game, going for 199 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and even completed a pass for 13 yards. Gore ran for over 1,000 yards this season and had seven rushing touchdowns. He will be the biggest issue for Rice in this game. 

Rice’s run-defense is certainly questionable. They are 91st in the country in opponent rushing yards allowing 166.5 a game. They’re 44th against the pass, so the offensive load will fall on the running game, not whoever is playing QB for Southern Miss. They’ve played three different quarterbacks this season in Zach Wilcke, Ty Keyes, and Trey Lowe, who won their final regular season game. 

If Gore runs wild, I don’t know how Rice can keep up. The Owls are 83rd in total offense and also have questions at quarterback. They’ll end the year, 5-8, but at least they got to play in a bowl game. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change

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