Rice at Army 8/30/19 - College Football Betting Picks & Odds
Rice Owls vs. Army Black Knights
CFB: 6:00 PM EST
Aug. 30, 2019
TV: CBSSN
Latest Odds : ARMY -23.5
The Rice Owls are set to visit Michie Stadium in West Point, New York for a Week 1 clash against the Army Black Knights. The Rice Owls are looking to rebound after going 2-11 during the 2018 season, and they will need to be vastly improved on the offensive side of the ball after finishing 124th in PPG. The Owls will have a new look under center which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as QB Shawn Stankavage threw 10 TDs compared to 10 interceptions. Whoever takes the starting snaps for Rice will have a safety valve in WR Austin Trammell as he contributed 632 yards last season.
The Rice Owls finished the 2018 season as they 112th ranked defense as they allowed 38 PPG, but they should be better off this season as they return some talent. The Owls will return their leading tackler in George Nyakwol as he contributed 67 tackles and 2 interceptions last season. Joining Nyakwol in the secondary is Prudy Calderon who was a ball hawk during the 2018 season as he brought down 4 interceptions.
Click HERE to get ALL of our Winning Free Picks Daily Free CFB Picks & Predictions!
The Army Black Knights are looking to continue their success from the 2018 season as they went 11-2 with a blowout victory in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Houston Cougars, 70-14. The Black Knights will return their star QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. who was also the leading rusher with 1017 yards and 17 TDs while contributing an additional 1026 yards through the air. The Black Knights will be without their 2nd leading rusher Darnell Woolfolk who contributed 956 yards and 14 TDs, but they still have a ton of RB talent.
The Army Black Knights had one of the best defenses in college football last season as they finished 10th in points allowed, but they will need to replace a ton of that talent this year. Army graduated their leading tackler in James Nachtigal who contributed 97 tackles last year, and they also lost their interception leader in Mike Reynolds who pitched in 3 interceptions. Army will be looking for Elijah Riley to step up after contributing 10 pass deflections in the secondary during the 2018 season.
Recent Betting Trends:
Owls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in August.
Over is 8-1 in Owls last 9 vs. INDEP.
Black Knights are 7-3-2 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
Over is 19-7 in Black Knights last 26 vs. CUSA.
Free Betting Pick: Army Black Knights -23.5
The favorite has covered in 3 of the last 4 meetings between the Army Black Knights and Rice Owls. The Army Black Knights should once again have one of the best offenses in college football as they will attack their opponent on the ground. Rice struggled on both sides of the ball last season, and I am specifically concerned about their offense as they will have to replace their starting QB from last season as well as their 2 leading rushers. Army may have lost talent on the defensive side of the ball, but they still have an ideal scheme with the athletes they have on their roster which should lead to a dominant performance. Final Score Prediction, Army Black Knights win and cover ATS 41-14.