No. 25 Memphis seeks to stay in Group of Five playoff hunt at Rice

No. 25 Memphis will try to maintain its push for a College Football Playoff Group of Five spot when it visits Rice on Friday night at Rice Stadium in Houston. The Tigers (7-1) kick off at 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2, with streaming available through major subscription services, and enter the game as roughly two-touchdown favorites in betting markets.

Memphis vaulted back into the Top 25 last week with a 34-31 road victory over South Florida, a result that left the program in position to control its own destiny for the Group of Five playoff place. Quarterback Brendon Lewis completed 27 of 44 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while the Tigers’ offense is averaging about 37.6 points per contest this season. Running back Sutton Smith, who has rushed for 515 yards and six touchdowns, is another key figure expected to carry a heavy workload.

Rice (4-4, 1-3 American Athletic Conference) arrives off a 37-34 double-overtime win against UConn in which running back Quinton Jackson rushed for 168 yards and three touchdowns. The Owls have shown flashes, but their offensive production ranks near the bottom of the conference, which oddsmakers and handicappers cite as a major...