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2009 Rice Owls NCAA Football Predictions

Written July 15, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Rice Owls 2009 Predictions The Rice Owls are coming off an amazing season where they finished 10-3 overall and a tie for the West Division crown with Tulsa at 7-1, but did not play in the Conference USA title game because of the butt kicking they got from Tulsa in the regular season. The Owls were awarded with a trip to the Texas Bowl against Western Michigan, and really finished the season off with a bang with a 38-14 win. There is a lot of work to be done for the upcoming season, as the Owls lost their starting quarterback, running back, and their two best receivers from last year. The Owls do bring back 9 starters on defense, and it will be the defenses job to keep this team from falling to the bottom of the West.

The offense looks to turn to sophomore quarterback Nick Fanuzzi, who comes in as a transfer from Alabama, but its hard to imagine he will even come close to putting up the numbers that Chase Clement totaled a year ago. Not only did Clement pass for 4,119 yards and 44 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions, but he was the teams 2nd leading rusher with 693 yards and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 12. At running back the Owls are hoping to get a lot out of senior Jeramy Goodson, who had his moments in 2008 with 241 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 57 carries. Where this team really lost some talent is at wide receiver, as James Casey and Jarett Dillard combined for nearly 200 catches for 2,639 yards and a remarkable 33 touchdowns last season. The Owls are hoping that a couple of returning seniors in Toren Dixon and Corbin Smiter can at least give Fanuzzi a couple threats to throw to on the outside. Another problem this unit faces is they have just two starters back on the offensive line in junior left tackle Scott Mitchell and sophomore left guard Jake Hicks. The Owls are expecting a trio of sophomores to step in at the other three spots, as Tyler Parish takes over at right tackle, Davon Allen comes in at right guard, and Keshawn Carrington holds down the middle at center. This could be a recipe for disaster with a very inexperienced offensive line and a new starting quarterback. In fact a lot will have to go right for the offense to be productive this season. Bet the Owls this season at Sportsbook.com.

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Yes, the defense returns 9 starters, but we are talking about a defense that gave up nearly 35 points and 470 yards of total offense last season. The Owls do have a hole at one of the defensive tackle spots, and it looks like they will go with sophomore John Gioffre to play next to senior Chance Talbert. At defensive end the Owls have a couple of juniors that could surprise some people in Scott Solomon and Cheta Ozougwu. Each had 40 tackles a piece last season, and combined for 8 sacks and 7 more tackles for loss. The Owls have all three starters back at linebacker, and while senior Terrance Garmon is the leader of this bunch, keep a close eye on sophomore Travis Bradshaw, as he was second on the team with 89 tackles as a redshirt freshman last season. The secondary should be pretty strong for the Owls this season, but they will have a couple of sophomores starting at corner, as Jarrett Ben joins Chris Jammer in the starting lineup. At safety the Owls have one of the top players in the conference in senior free safety Andrew Sendejo, but junior strong safety Chris Jones is no slouch at his position either. I think this unit will dramatically improve from last year, but the question will be can the offense score enough to make it even matter. Bet Conference USA this season at Sportsbook.com.

My 2009 Prediction: Tie for 4th in Conference USA West Division. Part of me thinks the Owls could even finish lower than I have them here, as I don’t see how they have any chance of competing against the top teams of Tulsa, UTEP, and Houston this season. I think that the Owls have three very winnable games against Tulane, UCF, and UAB, but if they struggle on the road against UAB to start the season, it could be a very long season to be an Owls fan.

For those of you looking for some advice with your NCAA football picks this upcoming season, be sure to stop back for our expert college football predictions and the latest college football odds at Betfirms.

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