Tulane vs Rice prediction, picks: College Football odds

The Tulane Green Wave continue American Athletic Conference play in Week 9 with another road test. Rice Stadium will play host to the Saturday afternoon contest between Tulane and Rice. The Green Wave and Owls will square off with the former looking to remain atop the AAC by the end of the afternoon.

The conference clash is set to kick off at 3 p.m. CT from Houston, Texas. ESPN2 will carry the national broadcast with Drew Carter and Brock Osweiler on the call.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, has the visitors laying 10 points with the over/under set at 53.5 total points.

Let's take a closer look at the odds, highlight some picks and a make prediction for this American Athletic Conference contest:

Tulane Green Wave at Rice Owls

Time/TV: Saturday at 3 p.m. (ESPN2)

Spread: Tulane -10

Over/Under: 53.5

Moneyline: Tulane -400, Rice +310

TOP PICK

Tulane-Rice OVER 53.5 total points (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

If there's one thing we know about these two teams its that they can score points — quickly. Tulane has seen 54+ total points scored in four of its games this season, including two of the last three weeks.

Rice isn't an offense to overlook either. The Owls have put up 24 or more points in every game this season aside from the opening week contest against the Texas Longhorns. J.T. Daniels has this offense humming coming off a 42-10 win over Tulsa.

Mike Bloomgren and the Rice offense won't try to fool you either. They're going to throw the ball over the field, especially against a Tulane team that struggles to defend the pass. The Green Wave can stop the run as well as anybody in the country but that's not an issue they need to worry about against Rice.

Both teams will be able to find the end zone semi-frequently at Rice Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A total of 53.5 points is very achievable for the star signal callers on each sideline.

Prediction: Tulane 41, Rice 27

OTHER PICKS

Tulane -6.5 in the first half at Rice (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

Rice has gotten off to quick starts this season, similar to Tulane. However, the second quarter has not been kind to the Owls. They've been outscored or their offensive output has been matched in five of their games this season during the period heading into half.

On the other hand, the Green Wave have failed to win the first half just twice this season. The trends tell us that Tulane should be able to take a touchdown lead or so into half.

Tulane -10 at Rice (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

The Green Wave will be the second-best team that Rice has faced this season. The only team that was better, the Texas Longhorns, dismantled the Owls by four touchdowns. There unfortunately haven't been any common opponents to give us an idea of how these two stack up against each other. Rice did lose to Connecticut at home two weeks ago, though, so that's some good information.

Tulane is in need of a "statement win," according to some. The Green Wave need to go on the road and dominate a game from start to finish. While the defense might slip up a few times, Tulane is more talented across the board.

The spread has dropped to an even -10 from -10.5 on Thursday afternoon. This only makes me feel better about this selection. The Green Wave roll over Rice.