The Owls will be playing in Heinz Field on 9/30/17:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/Pitt/...1601120168

First games between my two favorite college football teams since 1950-51, when the Owls swept a home-and-home series. Rice won 14-7 at Pitt Stadium on 10/14/50, and won 21-13 at Rice Stadium on 11/3/51.

That's puzzling. Did somebody on Rice's schedule cancel?

(01-12-2016 12:42 PM)Frizzy Owl Wrote:  That's puzzling. Did somebody on Rice's schedule cancel?

They're likely pushing up the @Houston game

Schedule was:
09/02 - Stanford
09/23 - Army
09/30 - at Houston

Maybe?
09/02 - Stanford
09/09 or 16 - @Houston
09/23 - Army
09/30 - at Pitt

Edit: UH has both the 9th and 16th open.

Kind of a strange matchup, but I don't mind it. A P5 that isn't as bad as Kansas or Purdue, but not as intimidating as LSU, A&M, etc..

Another East Time Zone game, Great!

Looks like someone in the athl. dept. is doing their football job.

Way to go, JK, keep 'em comin'

Add GA Tech as well?

So they were added to the 2017 schedule relatively late. Could be a whole lot worse, then. Too bad we couldn't get a return visit out of them, but not bad.

Pitt hired Pat Narduzzi, longtime Michigan State DC, prior to this season. By 2017, that will be a stout D.

As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win. Playing P5 competition is more exciting, but it doesn't lead to wins. LSU, Pitt, Stanford, and UH are going to destroy us. We aren't anywhere close to competing with those guys. Am I missing something here? How can you guys get excited about games that won't even be competitive? Are we lowering academic standards for athletes and hiring Nick Saban or something? I missed the memo.

If you don't want to play good NCAA teams, why even have a team. It isn't like Rice is following up their OOC games with even an AAC slate of conference games.

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win. Playing P5 competition is more exciting, but it doesn't lead to wins. LSU, Pitt, Stanford, and UH are going to destroy us. We aren't anywhere close to competing with those guys. Am I missing something here? How can you guys get excited about games that won't even be competitive? Are we lowering academic standards for athletes and hiring Nick Saban or something? I missed the memo.

WE NEED MONEY. PERIOD.

We're not going to get it playing Charlotte in front of 5,000 fans (if that many). We have to do something. Where would you propose to get the money if we don't play P5 teams?

2017 schedule with Stanford, UH and Pitt will be tough. And Army's not easy either, although, obviously not in the same league (literally) as the other three.
I'm OK with that. It puts dough in coffers and puts us on national TV.
And if we do things right between now and then, we will knock one of those teams off.

(01-12-2016 01:51 PM)Dirty Sanchez Wrote:  If you don't want to play good NCAA teams, why even have a team. It isn't like Rice is following up their OOC games with even an AAC slate of conference games.

LOL

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win. Playing P5 competition is more exciting, but it doesn't lead to wins. LSU, Pitt, Stanford, and UH are going to destroy us. We aren't anywhere close to competing with those guys. Am I missing something here? How can you guys get excited about games that won't even be competitive? Are we lowering academic standards for athletes and hiring Nick Saban or something? I missed the memo.

We were competitive with UH when we last played them...

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win.

No. Our conference games are the games we can win. The OOC games have to make money and give us visibility, because the conference games can't do either of those.

It's exactly the opposite of the situation we had in the SWC. We played 8 conference games against teams that were legitimate P5-level programs. We scheduled some lightweight OOC games to get wins. Unfortunately we didn't manage to win all those.

We play enough Sunbelt/Southland caliber opponents in the conference. We have to play OOC games that accomplish something else.

We were terrible in 2015. If we had merely managed to beat all the conference teams that were worse, we'd have been in our fourth straight bowl.

But did really matter that much that we beat Wagner? Fans want to see the big name opponents and we need to get ready for them. If we do not want to play top teams, we need to drop to D3 or drop football completely.

(01-12-2016 01:57 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win. Playing P5 competition is more exciting, but it doesn't lead to wins. LSU, Pitt, Stanford, and UH are going to destroy us. We aren't anywhere close to competing with those guys. Am I missing something here? How can you guys get excited about games that won't even be competitive? Are we lowering academic standards for athletes and hiring Nick Saban or something? I missed the memo.

WE NEED MONEY. PERIOD.

We're not going to get it playing Charlotte in front of 5,000 fans (if that many). We have to do something. Where would you propose to get the money if we don't play P5 teams?

You guys can say all you want about money and exposure, but starting a season off with a 1-3 record is not a good way to excite fans, and getting blown out on national TV does nothing to advance the public's perception of Rice football. Sure, Rice needs the money, but at what cost? Injuries and embarassment. We already did this during the Hatfield era, and I hate to see it start up again now.

(01-12-2016 01:51 PM)Dirty Sanchez Wrote:  If you don't want to play good NCAA teams, why even have a team. It isn't like Rice is following up their OOC games with even an AAC slate of conference games.

This. 100% agree.

(01-12-2016 02:11 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win.

No. Our conference games are the games we can win. The OOC games have to make money and give us visibility, because the conference games can't do either of those.

It's exactly the opposite of the situation we had in the SWC. We played 8 conference games against teams that were legitimate P5-level programs. We scheduled some lightweight OOC games to get wins. Unfortunately we didn't manage to win all those.

We play enough Sunbelt/Southland caliber opponents in the conference. We have to play OOC games that accomplish something else.

We were terrible in 2015. If we had merely managed to beat all the conference teams that were worse, we'd have been in our fourth straight bowl.

Exactly. Our conference games are our cupcake wins. Or should be. We have plenty of them. We can add one or two more in nonconference if we like, but nonconference is where we need to play some real teams.

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win. Playing P5 competition is more exciting, but it doesn't lead to wins. LSU, Pitt, Stanford, and UH are going to destroy us.

Wow, UH is gonna destroy us? How far Rice has fallen with your favorite coach leading the way..... He is 2-5 against mighty UH. If Rice can't compete against AAC teams, drop out of Div 1.

(01-12-2016 03:21 PM)RiceFootball2K5 Wrote:  

(01-12-2016 02:11 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(01-12-2016 01:35 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  As long as Rice is going to be Rice, it needs to think about scheduling some OOC games it can win.

No. Our conference games are the games we can win. The OOC games have to make money and give us visibility, because the conference games can't do either of those.

It's exactly the opposite of the situation we had in the SWC. We played 8 conference games against teams that were legitimate P5-level programs. We scheduled some lightweight OOC games to get wins. Unfortunately we didn't manage to win all those.

We play enough Sunbelt/Southland caliber opponents in the conference. We have to play OOC games that accomplish something else.

We were terrible in 2015. If we had merely managed to beat all the conference teams that were worse, we'd have been in our fourth straight bowl.

Exactly. Our conference games are our cupcake wins. Or should be. We have plenty of them. We can add one or two more in nonconference if we like, but nonconference is where we need to play some real teams.

+1 agree.

(01-12-2016 02:26 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  You guys can say all you want about money and exposure, but starting a season off with a 1-3 record is not a good way to excite fans, and getting blown out on national TV does nothing to advance the public's perception of Rice football.

+1 Agree we need a head coach who can actually win about half of those P5 OOC games. We seem not to have one at the moment.