Overview
- Kickoff is Friday, Jan. 2 at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth.
- Rice will be without starting quarterback Chase Jenkins after his transfer-portal move, with Drew Devillier expected to take snaps though no starter was announced.
- Texas State retained key contributors, including quarterback Brad Jackson and receivers Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr., with no major opt-outs reported as of Dec. 31.
- Oddsmakers and previews list Texas State as roughly a two-touchdown favorite, with lines in the -14.5 to -16.5 range and predictions leaning to a Bobcats win.
- Rice enters on a late-season slide with six losses in its final eight games, and Texas State won the teams’ 2023 bowl meeting 45-21.