Rice, with five wins, slipped into the bowl through the backdoor. The Owl's top two QBs have departed. Texas State scores in bunches. But, 18.5 points? Really? Rice retained their RBs and are a rush-first team, so the inexperience at QB might not be super-impactful. The Bobcats' defense was porous enough, especially against the run, that the coordinator was fired. It's plausible that the favorites will not take Rice seriously. If the underdogs eat up minutes with an effective rush attack, the spread should wind up inside this massive number.