Who's Playing

SMU Mustangs @ Rice Owls

Current Records: SMU 6-2, Rice 4-4

How To Watch

  • When: Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Rice Stadium -- Houston, Texas
  • TV: ESPN University
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $19.76

What to Know

Rice will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-field advantage. The Rice Owls and the SMU Mustangs will face off in an American Athletic battle at 7:30 p.m. ET at Rice Stadium.

Last Saturday, it was a hard-fought contest, but Rice had to settle for a 30-28 defeat against Tulane. The close matchup was extra heartbreaking for Rice, who almost overcame a 20 point deficit.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Juma Otoviano, who rushed for 38 yards and two touchdowns. JT Daniels was another key contributor, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, SMU put the finishing touches on their fifth blowout victory of the season on Saturday. They put a hurting on Tulsa at home to the tune of 69-10. Winning may never get old, but SMU sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.

SMU can attribute much of their success to Camar Wheaton, who rushed for 80 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries, and Preston Stone, who threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of RJ Maryland, who picked up 95 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Rice's defeat dropped their record down to 4-4. As for SMU, their win was their sixth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 6-2.

While only SMU took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Going forward, SMU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 12 points. Rice might be worth a quick bet since they're sitting on a four game streak of covering the spread when playing as the underdog.

Keep an eye on the end zone in Saturday's game as both teams haven't had much trouble getting there this season. The Owls command a daunting offense this season, having averaged 4.5 touchdowns per game. However, it's not like the Mustangs struggle in that department as they've been even better at 5.2 per game. With these two high-octane teams facing off on Saturday, fans should be in for an exciting offensive matchup.

Odds

SMU is a big 12.5-point favorite against Rice, according to the latest college football odds.

The line has drifted a bit towards the Mustangs, as the game opened with the Mustangs as a 10.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 59 points.

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