Former conference opponents are set to clash at the Lending Tree Bowl. The matchup is between the Rice Owls and the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, with Conference-USA going up against the Sun Belt. Rice gets into a bowl game despite losing three straight games and finishing the season under .500. Meanwhile, Southern Miss beat Louisiana-Monroe at the end of the season to become bowl eligible. The line for this matchup has Southern Miss as a 6.5-point favorite with the over/under set at 45.5. Here is my betting preview for the Lending Tree Bowl matchup.
Rice Owls
The Rice Owls are the only team to make it to a bowl game after winning fewer than six games this season. Rice finished tied 85th in the country for points scored per game (25.3). They have also put together just over 386 yards of total offense (137th in the nation). One thing that has killed Rice this season is turnovers, as they are second in the country in giving up the football. They have 30 total giveaways and have had 13 committed in the last four games.
The Owls should have freshman quarterback AJ Padgett getting the start in this one. Padgett started in the final game of the season and threw for 229 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rice will also likely be without Luke McCaffrey, the brother of NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey. If Rice can lay off committing turnovers, they have a chance here.
Defensively, Rice struggles a ton. They give up 390.8 total yards of offense (tied-137th in the country). Rice also allows 33.8 points per game as well, which is tied for 249th in the country. If they can stop the run (which they have struggled with this season), Rice should be in a good spot.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Southern Miss had a tough stretch to end the college football season. They got blown out by Georgia State at home and then lost one-score games to Coastal Carolina and South Alabama. This Golden Eagles offense is led by Frank Gore Jr., who has 1,053 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. They have struggled to move the football this season, ranking outside the top 100 in all yardage categories (191st in total yards per game, 166th in passing yards per game and tied-196th in rushing yards per game). They also average 24.3 points per game. If Gore doesn’t get going then the Golden Eagles are in trouble.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles have been good this season. They give up 139.4 rushing yards per game (87th in the country). Southern Miss allows 23.3 points per game; This Golden Eagles defense is going to need a big game in stopping the passing offense of Rice. If they can contain the passing game, Southern Miss likely keeps them under the 24 mark, which leads to them getting a victory.
Betting Trends
-Rice is 1-4 ATS in their last five neutral site games.
-Over is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings between these two teams.
-Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last four meetings.
-Southern Miss is 6-0 ATS in their last six non-conference games.
The Don’s Lending Tree Bowl Best Bet
My official play here is under 45.5. Both offenses have struggled this season and I truly believe that not a ton of points will be scored in this one. I see a 20-13 or 23-14 type of score. My lean is Southern Miss -6.5, but I am just too worried about their offense to cover this number. I will be watching the struggle of two offenses in this one. Hammer the under in the Lending Tree Bowl game.