Wk 3 · 2026
Western Michigan Broncos at Rice Owls — Sat, Sep 19
Sat, Sep 19 ·
First Community Stadium, Houston, TX
· ESPN+ FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
7:00pET
WMU -8.5 · total 43.5 DraftKings opened +11.5 · 3 toward RICE
Ratings differential WMU by 8.3
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
W Michigan form
W 38-7vs KENTW 20-17at BUFL 7-32vs BOISW 28-21at RICEW 49-14vs MONM
2026 season
Rice form
L 12-28at ECUL 14-16vs UTSAL 24-38at FRESL 21-28vs WMUL 0-52at ND
2026 season
W Michigan this season
Straight up4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Rice this season
Straight up1-5 · 17% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 0
These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, the series is level at 1–1 · W Michigan won the last one
2 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
8.5 points toward Rice
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-19 | W Michigan 28 — 21 Rice | at RICE | W Michigan |
| 2008 | 2008-12-30 | W Michigan 14 — 38 Rice | neutral | Rice bowl/CFP |
W Michigan leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Broc Lowry QB #12 | 77/113, 739 YDS, 4 TD, 1 INT |
| Trey Petty QB #10 | 4/6, 54 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | Jalen Buckley RB #6 | 62 CAR, 287 YDS, 5 TD |
| Broc Lowry QB #12 | 56 CAR, 170 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Ofa Mataele RB #24 | 32 CAR, 130 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Aveion Chenault WR #2 | 18 REC, 272 YDS, 1 TD |
| Nate Levicki TE #88 | 8 REC, 112 YDS | |
| Baylin Brooks WR #7 | 14 REC, 106 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Egypt Nelson WR #8 | 11 REC, 81 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Justyce Betts LB #10 | 35 |
| Domanick Moon LB #47 | 31 | |
| Dillon Moore LB #12 | 31 | |
| Sacks | Dillon Moore LB #12 | 1.5 |
| KJ Burley DE #15 | 1.5 | |
| Domanick Moon LB #47 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Dillon Moore LB #12 | 1 |
Rice leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Jacurri Brown QB #11 | 36/67, 410 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Gael Ochoa QB #4 | 2/5, 17 YDS | |
| Rushing | Jacurri Brown QB #11 | 88 CAR, 495 YDS, 4 TD |
| Tyvonn Byars RB #26 | 52 CAR, 208 YDS, 1 TD | |
| DAndre Hardeman Jr. RB #28 | 52 CAR, 200 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Barry Jackson Jr. WR #7 | 7 REC, 102 YDS, 1 TD |
| Jordan Clark WR #19 | 11 REC, 102 YDS | |
| Ben Grice WR #6 | 6 REC, 64 YDS | |
| Max Mosey WR #13 | 2 REC, 45 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | AJ Brown DE #7 | 36 |
| Austin Harnetiaux LB #54 | 32 | |
| Stone Combs LB #33 | 28 | |
| Sacks | Chibby Nwajuaku DL #16 | 2 |
| Matthew Aribisala DL #15 | 1 | |
| Aquantis Clemmons DL #57 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Daveon Hook S #0 | 1 |
| Jerrick Harper CB #5 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.