Things are more than OK in Tulsa. Although the Golden Hurricane have dropped their last three games, two were close heartbreakers, while the other came on the road against a solid Arkansas squad from the SEC. After opening the season 3-0, Tulsa appears well-positioned to get back on track this weekend at Rice. The Owls sit at 1-5 and 13th in the American Athletic Conference, one spot below Tulsa, and could find themselves at a disadvantage in nearly every facet of this matchup.
Tulsa is averaging a respectable 27.5 points per game, while Rice is scoring more than a touchdown and a field goal less at just 17.0 points per contest. The difference in offensive production is significant. Tulsa is averaging 197 passing yards per game, whereas Rice is managing just 82.7 through the air. It's true that Rice has home-field advantage, but the Owls will likely need much more than that if they hope to keep this game close, let alone pull off the upset.
On October 1st, Tulsa came within a missed extra point in overtime of knocking off a very tough North Texas team. The following week, the Golden Hurricane went on the road and fell to Navy 34-26 in a game they appeared well on their way to winning (evidentially the US Navy is very good at withstanding hurricanes of all types). As I see it, those two frustrating losses should provide all the motivation and fuel Tulsa needs against a Rice team that is arguably weaker and hasn't won a game in five weeks. As a result, I have the Golden Hurricane covering the spread with room to spare.
Rice vs Tulsa prediction: Tulsa -4.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -6.5 (-105).
