First Responder Bowl: Texas State vs. Rice odds, picks and predictions

The Texas State Bobcats (7-5) and Rice Owls (6-6) tangle in Tuesday’s First Responder Bowl in Dallas. Kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium will be at 5:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Texas State vs. Rice odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Texas State went just 1-5 against the spread (ATS) from Oct. 7-Nov. 18, but the Bobcats ended their regular season with a 52-44 upset (as a +6) over South Alabama. TSU cranks out 36.0 points per game while allowing 33.8; the Over is 3-1 across its last 4 games.

Rice, which has never played the relative-newcomer-to-FBS Bobcats, needed wins in its last 2 regular-season games to become bowl-eligible. The Owls are just 2-5 ATS over their last 7 games.

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Texas State vs. Rice odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 9:39 p.m. ET.

• Moneyline: Texas State -185 (bet $185 to win $100) | Rice +150 (bet $100 to win $150)
• Against the spread (ATS): Texas State -3.5 (-110) | Rice +3.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 59.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Texas State vs. Rice picks and predictions

Prediction

Texas State 38, Rice 21

Moneyline

PASS. Peg the true probability being locked up between these prices.

Against the spread

Rice will go with its back-up quarterback, A.J. Padgett after starter J.T. Daniels medically retired. Padgett and the Owls have often been a bit loose with the football, logging more turnover-worthy plays. Both teams are way down the list on turnover margin (Rice -7, Texas State -8), but peg the Owls as being the more prone in this matchup.

TSU plays at a quick pace, and its easy to see Rice struggling if things don’t go its way early. This game means a lot to the Bobcats; its the program’s 1st bowl game.

Texas State gets drives over the midfield stripe going more often, and they figure to get a slight nod in overall consistency here.

TAKE TEXAS STATE -3.5 (-110).

Over/Under

This is a high total, but plenty of defensive issues can be exploited on both sides. No leverage, no lean, no thanks. PASS.

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