First Responder Bowl: Texas State Bobcats vs Rice Owls Odds, AI Picks, and AI Prediction

It has been a great start to the college football bowl season, but there are still a ton of big games on the schedule after Christmas. The SERVPRO First Responder Bowl is set to take place on December 26th and it will feature the Texas State Bobcats and Rice Owls.
This should actually be one of the more competitive college bowls as the betting odds are pretty tight. Here is a look at some First Responder Bowl betting analysis and some of the top bets that you are going to want to make.
Game Information
First Responder Bowl
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS vs RICE OWLS |
Location of the Game: Gerald J. Ford, Dallas, TX |
Date and Time: Tuesday, December 26, 5:30 PM ET |
Reason: 2023 First Responder Bowl |
How to watch: watchlivesports.co |
AI Betting Picks
ODDS | AI BETTING PICKS |
OVER/UNDER | Over 59.5 |
SPREAD/MONEYLINE | Rice Owls +4.5 |
The NCAAF schedule is loaded with some great college football bowl games over the next few weeks, but this game won’t have much attention. It should end up being a great battle though, especially since the Texas State Bobcats can’t get any stops.
Taking the over 59.5 total points is going to be the first wager to make as it is going to take at least 30 points to win this game. Texas State is the better overall team in this game, but taking the 4.5 points and backing the Rice Owls is the way to bet against the spread in this game.
First Responder Bowl Betting Odds
When trying to make some First Responder Bowl betting picks on this game, you are going to have to check out the NCAAF odds. Texas State is coming into this game as a 4.5-point betting favorite, but that’s not the only wager that you should make.
You can also make a total betting pick on this First Responder Bowl: Texas State Bobcats vs Rice Owls matchup, and that betting line is set at 59.5 total points. There will be other NCAAF picks to make when looking at the props, but the spread and over/under are the best wagers to focus on.
First Responder Bowl Betting Preview
If you are going to make some First Responder Bowl betting picks on this game then you need to check out each team in this matchup.
Bobcats Have to Get Stops

If you are looking to make a Texas State Bobcats prediction then you will have to check out their defensive numbers right away. Texas State suffered some bad NCAAF injuries on defense throughout the year, and this team couldn’t find a way to get any stops.
The Bobcats recently gave up 77 points in a blowout loss to Arkansas State, and this team is going to struggle to get stops in this game. Texas State is scoring 36.0 points per game, but it’s going to take more than an explosive offense to win this game.
Quarterback TJ Finley has thrown for 3,287 yards this season and he is also a player that can rack up yards on the ground. Finley will do all he can on offense in this game, but he needs his defense to step up and play as well.
Rice Needs to Run

It was interesting to check out the Rice Owls schedule this year, and this team wasn’t able to find any consistency. Rice put up some solid numbers on both sides of the ball, but they also had games where they struggled to play winning football.
Rice rushed for just 112 yards per game this season, and they are going to have to find some yards on the ground in this game. The Owls did score over 30.3 points per game this season, but they aren’t going to win this game with their offense.
This team was not in a good position in the NCAAF standings in 2023, but they have a chance to end their season with an impressive win. Look for Rice to try to do all that they can to slow this game down, but there will be points available to them.
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