Houston @ Rice preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 16, 2017 ) Rice 3, Houston 38

Houston junior defensive tackle Ed Oliver's big plans start on the road when the Cougars face intercity rival Rice on Saturday. "(I want to) leave the place better than I found it - and it was pretty damn good when I got here," the defensive tackle told ESPN The Magazine. "I don't care about personal accolades. Team trophies are what's important. They will be here long after I'm gone."

Oliver, who has already declared for the 2019 NFL Draft, has been named the nation's top player by several publications and is on five preseason watch lists for national awards. The reigning Outland Trophy winner has 39.5 career tackles for loss and led the Cougars with 73 stops last year. Houston's defensive rotations around Oliver will be strengthened by several transfers, including former TCU end Isaiah Chambers, a sophomore. The Owls rushed for 310 yards in a come-from-behind 31-28 victory against Prairie View A&M on Aug. 25, snapping a 10-game losing streak.

TV: Noon ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Houston -25

ABOUT HOUSTON (2017: 7-5): Junior D'Eriq King is the Cougars' leading returning passer (1,260 yards, seven touchdowns) and receiver, catching 29 passes for 264 yards and two scores before starting the final four games at quarterback. Senior transfers Terence Williams (1,859 rushing yards in three years at Baylor) and Raelon Singleton (531 receiving yards and four touchdowns at Utah last year) will try to boost a Houston offense that lost several starters. Graduate transfer Quinten Dormady, who began last year as Tennessee's starter before a shoulder injury, will back up King.

UT RICE (1-0): Junior Emmanuel Esukpa (261 yards, one touchdown last year) rushed for a career-high 173 yards and a score in the opener while senior Austin Walter added two rushing scores. Graduate transfer Shawn Stankavage, slowed by injuries at Vanderbilt, went 7-of-15 for 43 passing yards in his Rice debut. Rice had two strips sacks in the second half but allowed Prairie View A&M to average 15.3 yards per completion.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oliver's 1.56 tackles for loss leads all active players nationally.

2. Houston has won the last four meetings with Rice by an average of 25 points.

3. Notre Dame transfer Nick Watkins and Mississippi transfer Deontay Anderson will give Houston much-needed depth in the secondary.

PREDICTION: Houston 42, Rice 13