Houston vs. Rice prediction, odds, pick, how to watch Week 2

college football odds series for our Houston Rice prediction and pick. Find how to watch Houston Rice.

Houston and Rice are crosstown rivals, both part of the city of Houston. The best-known city rivalry in college football is USC versus UCLA in the battle for Los Angeles, but Houston and Rice should not be forgotten in a discussion of city rivalries in this sport. The schools used to be members of the old Southwest Conference before the SWC died in 1996. Rice was a Southwest Conference school long before Houston was, but Houston had some notable successes in the SWC, most notably in the late-1970s under then-coach Bill Yeoman.

This year's game is extra spicy because Houston, after being in the AAC, has returned to the Power Five conferences as a member of the Big 12. The Cougars join UCF, BYU, and Cincinnati in the adjusted version of a prominent college football conference. This will make Houston a target for Rice, but it will also increase the stakes for the Cougars and serve as an incentive for them to validate their restored status as a power conference program.

Here are the Houston-Rice College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Houston-Rice Odds

Houston Cougars: -9.5 (-114)

Rice Owls: +9.5 (-106)

Over: 51.5 (-115)

Under: 51.5 (-105)

How To Watch Houston vs. Rice

TV: NFL Network

Stream: NFL Network app / FuboTV

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT

*Watch Houston vs Rice LIVE on fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Why Houston Could Cover the Spread

The Rice offense did not look good last week against the Texas Longhorns. Rice is led by quarterback J.T. Daniels, one of the most-traveled quarterbacks in the history of college football. How many other players who have ever played college football can say they played for four different schools? Daniels has done that, playing for USC, then Georgia, then West Virginia last year, and now Rice. Daniels has experience, but at some point, when is experience no longer a good thing, and when is experience simply a matter of someone sticking around trying to make something work but ultimately failing in the attempt? When certain veteran players continue to play, it's not necessarily a reflection of them being excellent at what they do; it's sometimes an indication that there's no one better on the roster to take their place. Mediocrity, not just quality, can be the reason that certain players continue to play sports. This could certainly be the case with J.T. Daniels and Rice. Daniels being the best option for this offense might be a negative commentary on Rice, not a positive one. The failure to find someone better could be the reason Rice didn't perform better last week against Texas. It could be the reason Houston covers the spread in this game.

Why Rice Could Cover the Spread

Having J.T. Daniels is good for Rice. The Owls have someone who faced complicated defenses and schemes at USC, Georgia, and West Virginia. Compared to those three schools and the opponents they played, Rice has a much more manageable set of opponents, including a Houston team which did not look very good on offense last week in its season opener versus UTSA. Houston had trouble sustaining drives and did not impress anyone. Rice can certainly stay close to the Cougars with Daniels leading the way.

Final Houston-Rice Prediction & Pick

The Houston offense doesn't look good, but Rice doesn't appear to be a trustworthy team. Pass on this one and look for other betting plays on your college football Saturday.

Final Houston-Rice Prediction & Pick: Rice +9.5