Southern Miss vs. Rice LendingTree Bowl: Time, TV, picks, odds

Southern Miss and Rice are playing in the LendingTree Bowl. Southern Miss had to win its final game to qualify for the bowl game. Rice earned a postseason bid as the only team with a losing record.

Southern Miss and Rice will play in the LendingTree Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 5:45 p.m. ET at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama.

ESPN is airing the LendingTree Bowl. Southern Miss vs. Rice is time, TV, picks and odds.

Southern Miss should keep it on the ground and will likely attack Rice's porous defense. Frank Gore Jr. ran for a career-high 199 yards against Louisiana-Monroe. Southern Mississippi should win 31-16.

Southern Miss and Rice are playing in the LendingTree Bowl.

Rice is in the LendingTree Bowl for the first time since 2014. The Owls lost four of their last five games and turned the ball over 30 times. Rice is also going to the American Athletic Conference in 2023.

Southern Miss will play in the LendingTree Bowl. The Golden Eagles have struggled to score the ball in recent games. Trey Lowe came off the bench in regular-season finale to throw for 170 yards and a TD.

Josh Pearcy has 43 tackles and 51/2 sacks for Rice.

Luke McCaffrey is Christian's brother. He played quarterback at Nebraska before switching to wide receiver at Rice. In his first season at wideout, he led the team in catches (51) and scored six touchdowns. Southern Miss plays Rice in the LendingTree Bowl.

Frank Gore Jr. is the son of the former NFL back. He is a bruising runner (1,053 yards, 7 TDs) who can catch the ball out of it. Southern Miss plays Rice in the LendingTree Bowl.

Malik Shorts was the team's leading tackler in each of the last two seasons. He made 91 stops this season and picked off three passes. Southern Miss plays Rice in the LendingTree Bowl.