Rice Owls vs Texas State Bobcats Prediction, 1/2/2025 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Rice Owls vs Texas State Bobcats

Date: Friday, January 2, 2026

Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Bobcats (-11.0)

Total/Over-Under: 59.5

Amon G. Carter Stadium is the site where the Texas State Bobcats (6-6) will try to beat the Rice Owls (5-7) on Friday, January 2, 2026 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Texas State opens this contest as 11.0-point favorites. The over/under comes in at 59.5.

The Rice Owls come into this matchup with a record of 5-7 this season. The last time they took the field, the Owls played against the USF Bulls and took a loss by a score of 52-3. In all, they ran 58 plays which totaled 257 yards. The Rice Owls ran the ball a total of 40 times and accounted for 153 yards, which is an average of 3.8 yds per carry. Against the run, the Owls conceded 272 yds on 49 tries, which is 5.6 yds per rush surrendered. Rice gave up 18 completions on 28 attempts for a total of 281 yards, and a completion rate of 64.3%.

When talking about putting points on the board, the Rice Owls have an average of 19.8 PPG. As a unit they are averaging 213.3 yards on the ground which ranks them 14th in Division 1. The Owls have racked up 3,736 total yards over the course of this season. In terms of getting the ball in the endzone, Rice has earned 10 touchdowns via the pass and 20 touchdowns on the ground. Rice has amassed 210 1st downs as a unit, and they have committed 58 infractions for 587 yds. They have turned the football over 8 different times.

When it comes to yards through the air, the Owls have given up 2,926 yds which ranks them 105th in the country. They are conceding 243.8 yards per game through the air in addition to conceding a completion percentage of 61.2%. Over the course of this year, they have given up 401.1 yards per contest ranking them 95th in Division 1. They have surrendered 22 touchdowns via the pass as well as 24 touchdowns on the ground. They are allowing 4.5 yards per run and 157.3 yards on the ground per game on the season. During this campaign, they have allowed 1,888 yards on the ground through 12 games. The Owls rank 120th in Division 1 regarding the opposition scoring, allowing 32.3 points per game.

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The Bobcats head into this game 6-6 for this season. The last time they took the field, the Bobcats went home victorious with a score of 49-26 against the South Alabama Jaguars. The Bobcats ended up finishing with 544 yds on 69 plays (7.9 yds per play). Texas State ran for 6.1 yds per attempt, totaling 263 yards on 43 attempts. Texas State conceded 38 run attempts for 205 yds (5.4 yards per carry). The Bobcats secondary gave up a completion rate of 62.5%, relinquishing 157 yards on 20 out of 32 passing.

In relation to their scoring prowess, the Bobcats currently rank 14th in Division 1 by tallying 36.1 PPG. The Texas State Bobcats have an average of 475.8 yards per contest, which has them ranked 7th in college football. The Texas State offense has racked up 712 yds of penalties on 82 infractions, which ranks 40th in D-1 in terms of helping out the other team. They have tossed 7 interceptions while surrendering 8 fumbles and they have been able to obtain 276 first downs. For the season so far, the Bobcats have racked up 3,064 passing yards along with an average of 255.3 passing yards per contest, which is ranked 38th in Division 1. They are averaging 220.5 run yards per game and have toted the ball for 2,646 yards for the year.

The Bobcats are conceding 30.6 points per contest, ranking them 112th in the nation. Texas State has allowed a total of 2,041 yards rushing (170.1 yards per outing) as well as 25 touchdowns rushing so far this season. They have yielded 22 touchdowns from the passing game and 228.4 yards per outing, ranking them 87th in D-1. The Bobcats defense has taken the field for 842 plays, which is 96th in Division 1. Their defense has tallied 1 fumbles recovered and 8 interceptions on the campaign. This year, they have given up 367 points in total.

Who will win tonight's Owls/Bobcats college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Bobcats -11.0

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