(06-26-2019 01:08 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:43 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  NRG is across town?

Well, it is a 30 minute walk from campus! :--)

30 minutes? That's a brisk pace in Houston heat and humidity. Goggle maps shows it as a 54 minute hike (2.9 miles). But it may very well be quicker to walk than drive on game day including dealing with parking.

Hey, whoever from the athletic department who is reading this....

Open up our regular lot for season ticket holders and let us take the train down!

(06-26-2019 01:11 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 01:08 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:43 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  NRG is across town?

Well, it is a 30 minute walk from campus! :--)

30 minutes? That's a brisk pace in Houston heat and humidity. Goggle maps shows it as a 54 minute hike (2.9 miles). But it may very well be quicker to walk than drive on game day including dealing with parking.

Hey, whoever from the athletic department who is reading this....

Open up our regular lot for season ticket holders and let us take the train down!

Or provide shuttle buses.

I actually like the idea of a walk, en masse (also known as a ‘parade’) and ideally led by the MOB.

Talk about a grand entrance!!!

(We can take the train back to campus though !!)

(06-26-2019 04:03 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 01:11 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 01:08 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:43 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(06-26-2019 09:41 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  NRG is across town?

Well, it is a 30 minute walk from campus! :--)

30 minutes? That's a brisk pace in Houston heat and humidity. Goggle maps shows it as a 54 minute hike (2.9 miles). But it may very well be quicker to walk than drive on game day including dealing with parking.

Hey, whoever from the athletic department who is reading this....

Open up our regular lot for season ticket holders and let us take the train down!

Or provide shuttle buses.

In 2010? when we played them at NRG the student tailgate was outside Sid so students only had a 5 minute walk to the train (which is free) to get to NRG. I think we even ran the inner loop bus from north colleges to Sid so no one would have an excuse.

Rice schedule rated toughest in CUSA.

https://fbschedules.com/the-toughest-and...onference/

(07-03-2019 11:03 AM)Tiki Owl Wrote:  Rice schedule rated toughest in CUSA.

https://fbschedules.com/the-toughest-and...onference/

At least we will have plenty of opportunities for those top50 and top75 wins.

So when does practice start?

http://www.espn.com/college-football/sta...eamratings

(07-09-2019 09:44 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  http://www.espn.com/college-football/sta...eamratings

Got some good news in the power ranking there. We make up for the 130 ranking by having a loss projection of only 10.5 games. Assuming we beat UTEP, what other half will we win? First half of UTSA maybe?

(07-09-2019 11:23 PM)RiceOL83 Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 09:44 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  http://www.espn.com/college-football/sta...eamratings

Got some good news in the power ranking there. We make up for the 130 ranking by having a loss projection of only 10.5 games. Assuming we beat UTEP, what other half will we win? First half of UTSA maybe?

That's a big assumption. Did you look at UTEP's W/L projection?

Maybe we will win the first half of three games.

I take it as the O/U being 1.5. Seems a bit high to me, we would have to win twice to go over.

If you look at the projected W/L of our opponents they don't look that good - all of them. Maybe we have a chance?

(07-10-2019 12:18 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 11:23 PM)RiceOL83 Wrote:  

(07-09-2019 09:44 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  http://www.espn.com/college-football/sta...eamratings

Got some good news in the power ranking there. We make up for the 130 ranking by having a loss projection of only 10.5 games. Assuming we beat UTEP, what other half will we win? First half of UTSA maybe?

That's a big assumption. Did you look at UTEP's W/L projection?

Maybe we will win the first half of three games.

I take it as the O/U being 1.5. Seems a bit high to me, we would have to win twice to go over.

If you look at the projected W/L of our opponents they don't look that good - all of them. Maybe we have a chance?

I was trying to be positive. Realistically we may be lucky to win the 6 quarters we are projected to take from our opponents. UH was caught by surprise early being their game 1 and not seeing much of our schemes. The cats out of the bag now. Going to be a long long season. Just looking to the Lamar game in 2020. Chance to get on the winning side again.

I think the real issue on how far the team 'grows' will be evidenced by the CUSA record.

First 4 games I dont think Rice will win any of them.

La Tech
N Texas
Marshall ---- most likely losses

La Tech ---- first CUSA game after the killer four that Rice starts with. My guess a loss. If the team the coaches expect to come out the first game bloom fully --- maybe a 25% chance to win,

UAB
Middle Tenn ---- depends on which team emerges from the 4 first games. I can see losing both of these, but if the coaches expectations are on track, we might be able to win 1 or 2 of them.

UTSA
UTEP --- I actually expect to win both of these. If Rice gets clobbered by La Tech and UAB, UTSA will be a loss. If Rice doesnt win against any of So Miss, Marshall, Midd Tenn, and North Texas ---- look at very good possibility of a winless year.

My call here is between 1 and 4 wins, but this is going to be very dependent on how much the team tracks the coaches' expectations coming out of the very tough beginning 4 games. At 0 wins or 1 win, I dont think I would be a happy camper for the ability of the coaches.

(07-11-2019 04:26 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  I think the real issue on how far the team 'grows' will be evidenced by the CUSA record.

First 4 games I dont think Rice will win any of them.

La Tech
N Texas
Marshall ---- most likely losses

La Tech ---- first CUSA game after the killer four that Rice starts with. My guess a loss. If the team the coaches expect to come out the first game bloom fully --- maybe a 25% chance to win,

UAB
Middle Tenn ---- depends on which team emerges from the 4 first games. I can see losing both of these, but if the coaches expectations are on track, we might be able to win 1 or 2 of them.

UTSA
UTEP --- I actually expect to win both of these. If Rice gets clobbered by La Tech and UAB, UTSA will be a loss. If Rice doesnt win against any of So Miss, Marshall, Midd Tenn, and North Texas ---- look at very good possibility of a winless year.

My call here is between 1 and 4 wins, but this is going to be very dependent on how much the team tracks the coaches' expectations coming out of the very tough beginning 4 games. At 0 wins or 1 win, I dont think I would be a happy camper for the ability of the coaches.

I'll come right out and say it: If we win 0 or 1, I will call for launching Bloomgren. We won't do it, of course, because Rice, but it would be warranted. I can give a new coach a pass for year 1 (although plenty of new coaches manage to turn things around in year 1; naturally, we failed to get that kind of guy). But given the general fungibility of talent at this level/in this conference, there simply is no excuse for no progress (much less going backwards) in year 2. Not the schedule, not the cupboard, not injuries . . . don't want to hear it. Show progress *in the win column* or it's next man up IMO.

Here's hoping he moots all of this before we even get into November!

There's a very real possibility that we have a losing season in 2020 as well. I hope we get through the first four games without losing all our players to injury. These guys need playing time to develop. They need a full season under their belts.

(07-11-2019 11:21 PM)Ourland Wrote:  There's a very real possibility that we have a losing season in 2020 as well. I hope we get through the first four games without losing all our players to injury. These guys need playing time to develop. They need a full season under their belts.

My impression was that the goal of even those who view 2020 as the beginning of a Rice resurgence was a bowl, hence 6-6 +/-.

But I could be wrong. It has happened before.

I don't know what to expect anymore. I'm beside myself with all this. We'll be looking for a quarterback again. That's never good. We'll be trying to fill holes on the offensive line. I just really hope that these players get much bigger, stronger, and better this season. They all need experience. I'm going to have faith that it all works out.

(07-11-2019 05:49 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 04:26 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  I think the real issue on how far the team 'grows' will be evidenced by the CUSA record.

First 4 games I dont think Rice will win any of them.

La Tech
N Texas
Marshall ---- most likely losses

La Tech ---- first CUSA game after the killer four that Rice starts with. My guess a loss. If the team the coaches expect to come out the first game bloom fully --- maybe a 25% chance to win,

UAB
Middle Tenn ---- depends on which team emerges from the 4 first games. I can see losing both of these, but if the coaches expectations are on track, we might be able to win 1 or 2 of them.

UTSA
UTEP --- I actually expect to win both of these. If Rice gets clobbered by La Tech and UAB, UTSA will be a loss. If Rice doesnt win against any of So Miss, Marshall, Midd Tenn, and North Texas ---- look at very good possibility of a winless year.

My call here is between 1 and 4 wins, but this is going to be very dependent on how much the team tracks the coaches' expectations coming out of the very tough beginning 4 games. At 0 wins or 1 win, I dont think I would be a happy camper for the ability of the coaches.

I'll come right out and say it: If we win 0 or 1, I will call for launching Bloomgren. We won't do it, of course, because Rice, but it would be warranted. I can give a new coach a pass for year 1 (although plenty of new coaches manage to turn things around in year 1; naturally, we failed to get that kind of guy). But given the general fungibility of talent at this level/in this conference, there simply is no excuse for no progress (much less going backwards) in year 2. Not the schedule, not the cupboard, not injuries . . . don't want to hear it. Show progress *in the win column* or it's next man up IMO.

Here's hoping he moots all of this before we even get into November!

It took Jeff Monken two seasons to get on the winning track, it may take Bloom same.

(07-11-2019 11:35 PM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 11:21 PM)Ourland Wrote:  There's a very real possibility that we have a losing season in 2020 as well. I hope we get through the first four games without losing all our players to injury. These guys need playing time to develop. They need a full season under their belts.

My impression was that the goal of even those who view 2020 as the beginning of a Rice resurgence was a bowl, hence 6-6 +/-.

But I could be wrong. It has happened before.

Honestly, I would be over the moon if we made a bowl this year. It would take a whole host of lucky breaks. We had a few close games last year with UTEP (home), UNT (away), and LaTech (away). Maybe, just maybe, if the Offensive line gels, and we get decent to good QB play, we can win those three especially factoring in youth on defense and offense last year. The UTSA game is a toss up as we couldn't generate any offense, however they get a dynamic QB back from injury this year.

But, with that said, we need to show that we are trending up towards a solid team. Our recruits need to see that the process is working and that they will be a direct factor in transforming the 2020 season into a winning season.

(07-12-2019 08:18 AM)owler Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 05:49 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 04:26 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  I think the real issue on how far the team 'grows' will be evidenced by the CUSA record.

First 4 games I dont think Rice will win any of them.

La Tech
N Texas
Marshall ---- most likely losses

La Tech ---- first CUSA game after the killer four that Rice starts with. My guess a loss. If the team the coaches expect to come out the first game bloom fully --- maybe a 25% chance to win,

UAB
Middle Tenn ---- depends on which team emerges from the 4 first games. I can see losing both of these, but if the coaches expectations are on track, we might be able to win 1 or 2 of them.

UTSA
UTEP --- I actually expect to win both of these. If Rice gets clobbered by La Tech and UAB, UTSA will be a loss. If Rice doesnt win against any of So Miss, Marshall, Midd Tenn, and North Texas ---- look at very good possibility of a winless year.

My call here is between 1 and 4 wins, but this is going to be very dependent on how much the team tracks the coaches' expectations coming out of the very tough beginning 4 games. At 0 wins or 1 win, I dont think I would be a happy camper for the ability of the coaches.

I'll come right out and say it: If we win 0 or 1, I will call for launching Bloomgren. We won't do it, of course, because Rice, but it would be warranted. I can give a new coach a pass for year 1 (although plenty of new coaches manage to turn things around in year 1; naturally, we failed to get that kind of guy). But given the general fungibility of talent at this level/in this conference, there simply is no excuse for no progress (much less going backwards) in year 2. Not the schedule, not the cupboard, not injuries . . . don't want to hear it. Show progress *in the win column* or it's next man up IMO.

Here's hoping he moots all of this before we even get into November!

It took Jeff Monken two seasons to get on the winning track, it may take Bloom same.

Ah, but in his 1st year, Monken won more games than his predecessor had in the previous year (or the 2 years before that, I might add). So that earned him some leeway for the step back in year 2. In contrast, 2018 with Bloomgren was not an improvement over 2017 with Bailiff (the extra tick in the win column was due to a 13th game with a mediocre FCS opponent). There has to be *some* improvement in 2019, or else.

(07-12-2019 12:14 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(07-12-2019 08:18 AM)owler Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 05:49 PM)illiniowl Wrote:  

(07-11-2019 04:26 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  I think the real issue on how far the team 'grows' will be evidenced by the CUSA record.

First 4 games I dont think Rice will win any of them.

La Tech
N Texas
Marshall ---- most likely losses

La Tech ---- first CUSA game after the killer four that Rice starts with. My guess a loss. If the team the coaches expect to come out the first game bloom fully --- maybe a 25% chance to win,

UAB
Middle Tenn ---- depends on which team emerges from the 4 first games. I can see losing both of these, but if the coaches expectations are on track, we might be able to win 1 or 2 of them.

UTSA
UTEP --- I actually expect to win both of these. If Rice gets clobbered by La Tech and UAB, UTSA will be a loss. If Rice doesnt win against any of So Miss, Marshall, Midd Tenn, and North Texas ---- look at very good possibility of a winless year.

My call here is between 1 and 4 wins, but this is going to be very dependent on how much the team tracks the coaches' expectations coming out of the very tough beginning 4 games. At 0 wins or 1 win, I dont think I would be a happy camper for the ability of the coaches.

I'll come right out and say it: If we win 0 or 1, I will call for launching Bloomgren. We won't do it, of course, because Rice, but it would be warranted. I can give a new coach a pass for year 1 (although plenty of new coaches manage to turn things around in year 1; naturally, we failed to get that kind of guy). But given the general fungibility of talent at this level/in this conference, there simply is no excuse for no progress (much less going backwards) in year 2. Not the schedule, not the cupboard, not injuries . . . don't want to hear it. Show progress *in the win column* or it's next man up IMO.

Here's hoping he moots all of this before we even get into November!

It took Jeff Monken two seasons to get on the winning track, it may take Bloom same.

Ah, but in his 1st year, Monken won more games than his predecessor had in the previous year (or the 2 years before that, I might add). So that earned him some leeway for the step back in year 2. In contrast, 2018 with Bloomgren was not an improvement over 2017 with Bailiff (the extra tick in the win column was due to a 13th game with a mediocre FCS opponent). There has to be *some* improvement in 2019, or else.

Question for you and anyone else for that matter: what would your metric for improvement be if we don't show significant progress in the wins column?