Rice vs. Houston: Last Minute Spread Info, Line, BCS Impact and Predictions

The high-flying Houston Cougars will look to keep their slim BCS hopes alive when they host the Rice Owls in a Conference USA showdown on Thursday.

The Owls have had a bad season so far. Their record is 2-5 and they have lost two straight games and four of their last five. They rank near the bottom of the country in all of the major statistical categories, including passing yards (91st), rushing yards (85th), points for (95th) and points allowed (100th).

The Cougars could not be more different from Rice. They have the best offense in the country, at least based on points scored (49.3 per game), and the most efficient passing game (441.7 yards per game). They have won blowouts and close games, but they have yet to be tested against quality competition.

Where: Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas

When: Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8:00 p.m. EDT

Watch: Fox Sports Net Southwest

Listen: 1560 The Game (Rice); KBME Sportstalk 790 AM (Houston)

Betting Line: Houston (-28)

Owls Injury Report

Questionable: WR Randy Kitchens (Ankle), CB Chris Jammer (Head), LB Trey Briggs (Knee)

Out: CB Phillip Gaines (Foot), S Gabe Barker (Ankle), RB Charles Ross (Hamstring)

Cougars Injury Report

No injuries listed

Key Storyline: Will Houston Impress The Computers Enough To Become A Factor In The BCS?

The sad reality of the BCS is that it is an elitist system that does not reward every undefeated team, no matter how good their numbers look on paper.

Houston has all the peripheral numbers that make the team look better than it actually is. The fact of the matter is that this team plays in a terrible conference, and nothing that they do during the season is going to be good enough to elevate them high enough to be eligible for a BCS game.

Even if they go undefeated, there will be a bunch of teams ahead of them that have to lose at least one game to get them into the conversation.

BCS/Top 25 Implications

Houston is the lowest-ranked undefeated team in the country. They are currently 17th in the BCS and 18th in the AP and Coaches' polls. One loss and they will be on the outside looking in.

The Cougars have slim BCS hopes right now, and one loss will ruin what chance they have to play in one of the five big bowl games. They have the offense to run the table, but the question with this team has always been about the defense. One less-than-stellar effort by the offense will result in a loss.

What They Are Saying

Rice head coach David Bailiff is mum about naming a starting quarterback leading into this game. His options are Nick Fanuzzi, who took the job last week against Tulsa and performed admirably, and Taylor McHargue, who has struggled mightily this season.

From the Houston Chronicle:

"

"During his weekly Monday press conference, Bailiff said he won’t announce his starting quarterback – either incumbent Taylor McHargue or backup Nick Fanuzzi – until kickoff of Thursday night’s Bayou Bucket game at Robertson Stadium.

'Why would I?' Bailiff said about announcing his quarterback plans in advance.

When does he plan to announce his decision?

'Game time,' he joked."

"

Rice Player To Watch: QB Nick Fanuzzi

While head coach David Bailiff has not yet named a starting quarterback, thanks to Nick Fanuzzi’s strong performance against Tulsa last week—20-for-37, 234 yards and one touchdown—he is the likely candidate to get the call in this game.

Houston is going to put up a ton of points, so Fanuzzi will have to play mistake-free football and elevate the Owls’ offensive output if they want to win this game. It is likely too much to ask from him, but he has to step up and make a lot of plays.

Houston Player To Watch: QB Case Keenum

The reason that Houston’s offense puts up over 49 points per game is quarterback Case Keenum. He is the NCAA’s all-time leader in total offense, have passed Hawaii’s Tommy Chang. This team is going to go as far as he leads them.

Keenum has thrown for at least 304 yards and two touchdowns in every game this season. He has thrown just two interceptions, and both came in one game six weeks ago. No one has been able to stop him yet.

Key Matchup: Houston QB Case Keenum vs. Rice Defense

The only way to beat Houston is to put pressure on Case Keenum. He is the epicenter of the high-powered offense, and if anything goes wrong with him, the entire machine falls apart.

Considering that Rice allows nearly 33 points per game, the odds of them containing Keenum and the Houston offense are slim-to-none. But stranger things have happened, right?

Prediction

The Cougars will keep their undefeated season and BCS hopes alive with another dominating performance against an inferior Rice team.

Houston 52, Rice 17