Rice Owls vs UAB Blazers Matchup

Check out our free Rice Owls vs UAB Blazers pick and preview for this CFB week 13 game in Birmingham. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 13 CFB matchup.

ESPN+ will be covering this week 13 college football matchup between the Rice Owls and UAB Blazers, set to kick off at 2:00 ET from Protective Stadium in Birmingham. The over/under is at 50.5 points, and Rice is the -7-point favorite on the road. The money line odds are -251 for Rice and +207 for UAB. Both teams enter the game with a 2-8 record for the season.

Owls vs. Blazers Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Rice Owls at UAB Blazers
Where: Birmingham at Protective Stadium
Date: Saturday, November 23rd
Betting Odds RICE -7, RICE -251 | UAB +207 O/U 50.5

Owls Preview:

Rice enters Week 13 with a 3-7 record and no chance of becoming bowl-eligible. They are 0-5 on the road this season but have gone 2-2 at home. The Owls have been favored in only two games this year, and they are 0-2 in those matchups. Their average scoring margin is -2 points per game.

Against the spread, Rice is 3-5-1, with a 1-3-1 record on the road and a 2-2 mark at home. They are 0-2 ATS as the favorite but have gone 3-3-1 as the underdog.

The over/under line for this week’s game is 50.5 points. Rice’s games have averaged 45.4 points, with an average line of 48.4 points. Their over/under record this season is 2-7, with six games featuring lower lines than this week’s total.

Owls Offense Breakdown

Rice’s offense has been heavily reliant on their passing game this season, ranking 12th in passing attempts per game. They are 19th in completions, averaging 23.7 per game, and 74th in passing yards, with 221.6 yards per game. Overall, they are 81st in scoring, with 21.7 points per game, and we have them ranked 115th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 13.

E.J. Warner has thrown for 2,058 yards, completing 62.2% of his passes, with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His passer rating is 79. On the ground, Rice is averaging 114.1 rushing yards per game. Dean Connors leads the team with 678 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Matt Sykes is the top receiver with 658 yards and five touchdowns on 55 catches.

Owls Team Defense

Rice's defense is ranked 46th nationally, allowing 23.7 points per game. In their recent game against Memphis, they gave up 27 points, including four passing touchdowns, while allowing 526 total yards, 299 of which came through the air.

Despite the rough outing, Rice ranks 10th in the nation in passing yards allowed, giving up just 159.2 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have completed only 53.2% of their passes against Rice, which is also the 10th-lowest percentage in the country. On the ground, Rice is giving up 164.7 rushing yards per game, ranking 107th nationally.

Blazers Preview:

Against the spread, Rice is 3-5-1, with a 1-3-1 record on the road and a 2-2 mark at home. They are 0-2 ATS as the favorite but have gone 3-3-1 as the underdog.

Blazers Offense Breakdown

UAB’s offense has been heavily reliant on their passing game, ranking 14th in passing attempts per game. They are 32nd in passing yards, averaging 265.6 yards per game, and 18th in completions. Heading into week 13, they are 69th in scoring, with 24.7 points per game, and they are ranked 116th in our offensive power rankings.

Jalen Kitna leads the team with 1,755 passing yards and has a passer rating of 80, with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. UAB ranks 95th in passer rating. Amare Thomas has 610 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, UAB is 94th, averaging 125.1 rushing yards per game.

Blazers Team Defense

UAB's defense has struggled this season, allowing an average of 36.8 points per game. In their latest game against Memphis, they gave up 53 points, including 526 total yards, with 227 rushing yards and 299 passing yards surrendered.

Opponents have averaged 231.1 rushing yards per game against UAB, while the Blazers rank 21st in the nation in passing yards allowed, giving up just 172.7 yards per game through the air.

Owls vs Blazers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their ten previous road games, Rice has an ATS mark of 4-5-1. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-8 while averaging 18 points per game.
Through their last ten home games, UAB has an ATS record of just 4-6. However, their overall record was 0-10 while averaging 19 points per game.
Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, UAB has an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
Going back to their last three games as the favorite, the Rice Owls have a straight up record of 1-2. But, their mark vs the spread was just 1-2.