NCAAF Odds Say that Northwestern Beats Rice

The NCAAF expert odds in the sportsbook say that the Northwestern Wildcats beat the Rice Owls this week by at least 6 points.

2 and 0 Northwestern has actually done very well this season.  Although as 3-point favorites they failed against the spread versus Vanderbilt in their first game, they did beat the Commodores.  As 28-point favorites versus Illinois State in their next game, Northwestern was fantastic in a 37 to 3 victory.

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Now, the Wildcats take on a Rice team this Saturday that is 1 and 1 straight-up but 2 and 0 against the spread this season as 6-point faves.  Will the Wildcats cover the spread?

Northwestern Wildcats vs. Rice Owls

Where:  Rice Stadium, Houston, TX

When:  September 18th, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST

NCAAF Lines

Northwestern Wildcats                       -6 -110

Rice Owls                                           +6 -110

Both teams have positive and negative NCAAF odds online trends for this game.

• The Northwestern Wildcats are 5 and 1 ATS in their last 6 games on the road.

• The Northwestern Wildcats are 3 and 12 ATS in their last 15 games in September.

• The Rice Owls are 5 and 1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.

• The Rice Owls are 7 and 16 ATS in their last 23 non-conference games.

Rice was very good against Texas in their first game of the season when scoring 17 points and losing 34 to 17.  The NCAAF odds prediction in that game had the Texas Longhorns winning by 31 points.  So, Rice making it a somewhat close game has to be commended.

The Owls looked even better a week later when beating North Texas straight up, 32 to 31, as 3 ½ point dogs.  Rice is obviously a tough, hard-nosed, team that can put the ball over the goal line and get some points.

The same can be said regarding Northwestern.  The Wildcats were impressive when battling Vanderbilt but allowing the Commodores, who have one of the worst offenses, if not the worst offense, in the SEC, to score 21 points against them can’t be a good thing.

Yes, Northwestern bounced back brilliantly against Illinois State in their second game, but the close victory against Vanderbilt is a better testament to their overall abilities.  The problem that I have with this game is that there aren’t any really hard-core facts supporting Northwestern’s 6-point favoritism in this.

The NCAAF odds appear to have come out of nowhere.  Northwestern gives the impression that they are the better team because they play out of the Big Ten, but are they?  I’m not so sure.  Rice held their own against Texas in their first game and then upset a favored team in their second game.

Northwestern might be the better team but they have to travel to Rice to take on the Owls.  To me, that, and some of the trends, might make the difference in this one.  I’m going with Rice to cover the spread.   

NCAAF Pick:  Rice Owls +6 -110

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Sources:  espn.com, usatoday.com, covers.com