← Matchups

Rice

AAC · 1-1 · power +3.0 · #139
Our numberFRES -10.1 no book has priced this game

Fresno State

MWC · 1-1 · power +10.1 · #83
Our side
MoneylineFRES to win ours 69%
Projected score 19–29 RICE – FRES
2026-09-26 · 10:00 PM Valley Children's Stadium · Fresno, CA Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Fresno State lead 6–1 · 7 meetings since 1999
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Fresno State Bulldogs 68 ranks
Rice Owls #171 rush offense Fresno State Bulldogs #103 run defense
Pass game edge Fresno State Bulldogs 139 ranks
Rice Owls #218 pass offense Fresno State Bulldogs #79 pass defense
Run game even 17 ranks apart
Fresno State Bulldogs #234 rush offense Rice Owls #217 run defense
Pass game edge Fresno State Bulldogs 124 ranks
Fresno State Bulldogs #119 pass offense Rice Owls #243 pass defense
Rice Owls Run-heavy · 78% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 44 rush ypg Fresno State Bulldogs Run-heavy · 60% run Ball-control
Scott Abell · 5-8 Matt Entz · 9-4 · defense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Rice Owls
DL Chibby Nwajuaku 9 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #148 DL
DL AJ Brown 10 tkl · 0.5 TFL #157 DL
DL Braden Bays 7 tkl · 2.0 TFL #345 DL
RB Quinton Jackson 61 rush yds · 2 TD · 1 rec #224 RB
Fresno State Bulldogs
DL Jahzon Jacks 9 tkl · 2.0 TFL #89 DL
DL Martin Owusu 13 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL #118 DL
RB Bryson Donelson 117 rush yds · 3 TD · 1 rec #116 RB
LB K'vion Thunderbird 13 tkl · 2.0 TFL #222 LB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Rice OwlsAAC +3.0 -4.4 +7.4 #139
Fresno State BulldogsMWC +10.1 -0.4 +10.5 #83

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Rice offense vs Fresno State defense-14.9 pts
Fresno State offense vs Rice defense-7.8 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,485 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.