Rice vs. Charlotte prediction, odds, time: 2025 college football Week 4 picks by expert on 9-3 run

The Rice Owls take on the Charlotte 49ers as they kick off AAC action on Thursday night. Rice, a team that utilizes a unique shotgun triple-option attack, is coming off a 38-17 win over Prairie View A&M, while Charlotte downed Monmouth 42-35 on Saturday. The Owls (2-1), who tied for ninth in the conference last season at 3-5 and were 4-8 overall, are 1-0 on the road this season after going 0-6 a year ago. The 49ers (1-2), who tied for sixth in the American at 4-4 and were 5-7 overall, are 1-1 on their home field this season.

Kickoff from Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The all-time series is tied 3-3, with Charlotte winning last year’s matchup 21-20. Rice is a 3-point favorite in the latest Rice vs. Charlotte odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 44.5. Before you make any Rice vs. Charlotte picks, make sure you check out what the college football predictions from SportsLine expert Gene Menez.

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Sports Illustrated’s former college football editor, Menez specializes in college sports and horse racing. During his 14-year tenure at the magazine, he served as a reporter and editor, covering an array of sports and providing handicapping analysis of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Most importantly, Menez has a read on college football. He is 9-3 (+877) on his last 12 against-the-spread college football picks. Anyone who has followed him could be way up.

Now, Menez has zeroed in on Rice vs. Charlotte. Head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college football odds and college football betting lines for Charlotte vs. Rice:

Why Rice can cover

Sophomore Chase Jenkins is a dual threat at quarterback for the Owls. In Saturday’s win over Prairie View A&M, he completed 10 of 16 passes for 87 yards and one touchdown, while rushing 21 times for 124 yards (5.9 average) and one score. For the season, he has completed 27 of 37 passes (73%) for 182 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also has rushed 47 times for 144 yards (3.1 average), including a long of 21.

Powering the ground attack is junior running back Quinton Jackson. He is in his fourth season with the program. In a 14-12 season-opening win over Louisiana, he carried 22 times for 119 yards (5.4 average) and one touchdown. For his career, he has rushed 104 times for 528 yards (5.1 average) and three touchdowns. He also has caught 20 passes for 150 yards (7.5 average) and one touchdown. See which team to back at SportsLine. 

Why Charlotte can cover

Junior quarterback Conner Harrell is off to a fast start to his 49ers career. After spending the past two seasons at North Carolina, he has hit the ground running. He has completed 56 of 83 passes (67.5%) for 664 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. In Saturday’s win over Monmouth, he completed 26 of 30 passes (86.7%) for 382 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. He also rushed 13 times for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior E. Jai Mason is Harrell’s top target. The former Samford standout is in his first year with the program. He leads the 49ers in receiving, catching 16 passes for 284 yards (17.8 average) and three touchdowns in 2025. For his career, he has caught 84 passes for 901 yards (10.7 average) and 11 touchdowns. See which team to back at SportsLine.

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How to make Rice vs. Charlotte picks

For Thursday’s Rice vs. Charlotte matchup, Menez is leaning under the total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. See what it is at SportsLine.

Who covers in Rice vs. Charlotte and what critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rice vs. Charlotte spread you need to jump, all from the expert who returned $877 to $100 players over his last 12 college football picks, and find out.