Rice is certainly enjoying the perks of CUSA membership. Their only game out of state is on Oct. 10, at Florida Atlantic (against their rival Owls). Rice plays five road games in the state: at Texas, North Texas, Baylor, UTEP and UTSA.
That's a bus trip schedule, with a break in sunny South Florida. It's no accident that the Owls have thrived in this incarnation of CUSA. It fits them like a glove.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/40-schedule...ncaaf.html

Texas is a big state, but still sounds nice.

Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

Well...UTEP would be one heck of a bus ride from Houston. I'm guessing it will be an airplane trip.

(07-12-2015 11:56 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

I wish we'd play more too, Blue Raider. I've yet to be able to see a contest in your area. Tired of driving to Birmingham all the time, although that won't be a football trip the next few seasons until UAB comes back. Tell us a bit about your school's home town and its environs for us out-of towners who might want to make the trip.

We're lucky in that we've already played at Rice once, we had La Tech in Norfolk, and we get Southern Miss at The Rock this year. Nothing's ideal, but you have to savor the little things.

(07-12-2015 12:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Well...UTEP would be one heck of a bus ride from Houston. I'm guessing it will be an airplane trip.

Nah. Take the bus. 15ish cramped up hours on I-10 would do wonders for your team.

(07-12-2015 11:56 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

I'm a little surprised honestly. I thought Mt fans would be more interested in playing the eastern schools.

(07-12-2015 12:47 PM)STexMiner Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 12:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Well...UTEP would be one heck of a bus ride from Houston. I'm guessing it will be an airplane trip.

Nah. Take the bus. 15ish cramped up hours on I-10 would be a great thing for your team.

Don't worry, our coaches can blow games even when our players are rested! Just watch this season and you'll see it again.

I agree about driving west Texas on I-10, though. When I drive across, I find that I-40 through the heartland is a much more pleasant and scenic drive. I was pleasantly surprised by Oklahoma City, and found the ir downtown memorial to the bombing victims to be one of the more well-done such works. definitely a place to visit if you haven't.

(07-12-2015 12:52 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 12:47 PM)STexMiner Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 12:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Well...UTEP would be one heck of a bus ride from Houston. I'm guessing it will be an airplane trip.

Nah. Take the bus. 15ish cramped up hours on I-10 would be a great thing for your team.

Don't worry, our coaches can blow games even when our players are rested! Just watch this season and you'll see it again.

I agree about driving west Texas on I-10, though. When I drive across, I find that I-40 through the heartland is a much more pleasant and scenic drive. I was pleasantly surprised by Oklahoma City, and found the ir downtown memorial to the bombing victims to be one of the more well-done such works. definitely a place to visit if you haven't.

I actually don't mind the drive all that much, especially on the east side of the I-10/I-20 split. The only thing I didn't is that there are only six towns between greater San Antonio and greater El Paso. In the pre-cell phone days, I was afraid I'd run out of gas and have to walk 50 miles to Ozona or something.

I went to college in the Austin area (don't worry, not THAT Austin college). I could make the Austin to El Paso drive really easily. When I moved to Houston, I figured I wouldn't mind the extra couple of hours. Not so much.

Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

(07-12-2015 12:26 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 11:56 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

I wish we'd play more too, Blue Raider. I've yet to be able to see a contest in your area. Tired of driving to Birmingham all the time, although that won't be a football trip the next few seasons until UAB comes back. Tell us a bit about your school's home town and its environs for us out-of towners who might want to make the trip.

MT is only 35 miles from Metro Nashville. Murfreesboro, is affectionately called the Boro! Boro is literally in the exact Center of the state (thus the name Middle Tennessee). City was once the capitol of the state for a brief period. Located in the second fastest growing county in the state. Boro's population is 100,000+ and county has about 200,000+. Because of proximity to Nashville, the "IT CITY", most folks look to Music City for entertainment, (i.e. Titans, Predators, Grand Ole Opry, Concerts, Bars, restaurants, state Museum and capitol, etc.) but Boro has a few pretty good restaurants and a good hotel, Embassy Suites. Airport has daily flights from Nashville to Dallas.

(07-12-2015 04:07 PM)MarshallHerdFanz pi d='12192404 Wrote:Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

Easier opponents, but you need to check mapquest. San Antonio is a short trip compared to the others.

(07-12-2015 06:02 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 04:07 PM)MarshallHerdFanz pi d='12192404 Wrote:Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

Easier opponents, but you need to check mapquest. San Antonio is a short trip compared to the others.

Who the hell still uses mapquest?

(07-12-2015 09:17 PM)canewton Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 06:02 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 04:07 PM)MarshallHerdFanz pi d='12192404 Wrote:Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

Easier opponents, but you need to check mapquest. San Antonio is a short trip compared to the others.

Who the hell still uses mapquest?

Works for me when I want a hard copy of the route/map in case the GPS screws up.

(07-12-2015 11:56 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

Living in Huntsville I look forward to making the short drive up to see your campus when we play in 2016. I think both MTSU and WKU were good adds from the Sunbelt.

(07-12-2015 09:22 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 09:17 PM)canewton Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 06:02 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 04:07 PM)MarshallHerdFanz pi d='12192404 Wrote:Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

Easier opponents, but you need to check mapquest. San Antonio is a short trip compared to the others.

Who the hell still uses mapquest?

Works for me when I want a hard copy of the route/map in case the GPS screws up.

You can do the same thing in user friendly google maps...

(07-12-2015 09:17 PM)canewton Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 06:02 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(07-12-2015 04:07 PM)MarshallHerdFanz pi d='12192404 Wrote:Playing Tulane and Tulsa were easier road trips then UTEP and UTSA.

Easier opponents, but you need to check mapquest. San Antonio is a short trip compared to the others.

Who the hell still uses mapquest?

Same folks who use a mullet on their avatar

(07-12-2015 11:56 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Which brings me to one of my few disappointments in MT's move to CUSA. Three schools which I want to see the Raiders play frequently are Rice, La Tech and Southern Miss. We have yet to play Rice there or at home. La Tech: we finally get to play this year at their place. And Southern Miss, once in three years? This is the down side of the East/West split. Surely, Rice's 2015 schedule is somewhat of an anomaly.

You can play us more if you get to that championship game.

(07-13-2015 12:30 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  You can play us more if you get to that championship game.

Probably gonna be awhile form us. Then again, we play you every year in our division, but I don't know I'd call what we did last year actually "playing" you. More like coaches mailing it in for your benefit.