Beat DUH.

(08-31-2025 08:01 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Rice is undefeated. Texas and Alabama aren’t. Wonder when was the last time that happened.

Interesting question!

I looked back as far as 1969 ... and found several years where we won our first game and UT or Bama lost theirs:

UT: 2018, 2015, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1986 & 1976.
Bama: 2001, 2000, 1990, 1976, 1975 & 1970.

(FTR, in some of those years the dates don't line up for Rice to be undefeated & UT/Bama to be winless at the same time.

1976 is the only year I found (back through 1969) in which both UT & Bama lost their first games in the same year (to BC & Ole Miss, respectively). But those games were played on Sept. 11, and our first game -- a win over Utah -- was on the next Saturday (Sept. 18) ... a day on which both UT & Bama won their games (over N.Tex & SMU, respectively). So if our Sept. 18 win was a day game and their wins were night games, then we would have had the undefeated/winless condition for a few minutes.

I'll look further back through the records on Monday to see if there are any years that meet the spirit of OO's question.

(09-01-2025 02:50 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(08-31-2025 08:01 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Rice is undefeated. Texas and Alabama aren’t. Wonder when was the last time that happened.

Interesting question!

I looked back as far as 1969 ... and found several years where we won our first game and UT or Bama lost theirs:

UT: 2018, 2015, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1986 & 1976.
Bama: 2001, 2000, 1990, 1976, 1975 & 1970.

(FTR, in some of those years the dates don't line up for Rice to be undefeated & UT/Bama to be winless at the same time.

1976 is the only year I found (back through 1969) in which both UT & Bama lost their first games in the same year (to BC & Ole Miss, respectively). But those games were played on Sept. 11, and our first game -- a win over Utah -- was on the next Saturday (Sept. 18) ... a day on which both UT & Bama won their games (over N.Tex & SMU, respectively). So if our Sept. 18 win was a day game and their wins were night games, then we would have had the undefeated/winless condition for a few minutes.

I'll look further back through the records on Monday to see if there are any years that meet the spirit of OO's question.

Our Utah win in '76 was a night game.

(09-01-2025 02:50 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(08-31-2025 08:01 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Rice is undefeated. Texas and Alabama aren’t. Wonder when was the last time that happened.

Interesting question!

I looked back as far as 1969 ... and found several years where we won our first game and UT or Bama lost theirs:

UT: 2018, 2015, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1986 & 1976.
Bama: 2001, 2000, 1990, 1976, 1975 & 1970.

(FTR, in some of those years the dates don't line up for Rice to be undefeated & UT/Bama to be winless at the same time.

1976 is the only year I found (back through 1969) in which both UT & Bama lost their first games in the same year (to BC & Ole Miss, respectively). But those games were played on Sept. 11, and our first game -- a win over Utah -- was on the next Saturday (Sept. 18) ... a day on which both UT & Bama won their games (over N.Tex & SMU, respectively). So if our Sept. 18 win was a day game and their wins were night games, then we would have had the undefeated/winless condition for a few minutes.

I'll look further back through the records on Monday to see if there are any years that meet the spirit of OO's question.

I thought that that question might pique your interest.

I was thinking maybe 1949, or some of the years in the 50's when we had good records.

Or before 1949.

Or never.

IAC, it is true in 2025.

1949 Alabama started 0-2 before recovering to a 6-3-1 finish.

Their 0-2 was against Tulane and Vanderbilt

UT started 3-0 before a loss to Oklahoma, then Rice, for a 4-2 start. (Later losses to TcU and SMU resulted in a 6-4 mark).

Neither played in bowls that season.

RICE won its opener big against Clemson, but suffered its only loss against LSU before running the table to a 10-1 mark and a top 5 national finish, as Cotton Bowl champs over North Carolina.

The AP conducted its first ever preseason poll the following season, and did not rank 1949 #5 Rice in the 1950 preseason poll…

Except for the years in which Rice played Houston to open the season, this is only the 2nd time the Owls have been undefeated (with at least 1 win) immediately prior to playing the Cougars (2018).

There never has been a year in which both teams were undefeated (with at least 1 win) prior to the game

(09-01-2025 12:14 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Except for the years in which Rice played Houston to open the season, this is only the 2nd time the Owls have been undefeated (with at least 1 win) immediately prior to playing the Cougars (2018).

There never has been a year in which both teams were undefeated (with at least 1 win) prior to the game

Let’s also not forget 2008 where Houston, Rice, and Tulsa all entered Bayou Bucket week (rivalry week) with a path to the CUSA Western Division title and a conference championship game berth.

Houston had the inside track, but Rice’s 56-42 win at HRS gave the 7-1 Owls a share of the division title. Tulsa’s win the same night gave them the title game berth over Rice on the head-to-head tiebreaker. When ECU (5-3) went on to beat Tulsa for the league championship, Rice remained standing as the league’s only once-beaten squad that year.

(09-01-2025 09:42 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 02:50 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(08-31-2025 08:01 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Rice is undefeated. Texas and Alabama aren’t. Wonder when was the last time that happened.

Interesting question!

I looked back as far as 1969 ... and found several years where we won our first game and UT or Bama lost theirs:

UT: 2018, 2015, 1991, 1989, 1987, 1986 & 1976.
Bama: 2001, 2000, 1990, 1976, 1975 & 1970.

(FTR, in some of those years the dates don't line up for Rice to be undefeated & UT/Bama to be winless at the same time.

1976 is the only year I found (back through 1969) in which both UT & Bama lost their first games in the same year (to BC & Ole Miss, respectively). But those games were played on Sept. 11, and our first game -- a win over Utah -- was on the next Saturday (Sept. 18) ... a day on which both UT & Bama won their games (over N.Tex & SMU, respectively). So if our Sept. 18 win was a day game and their wins were night games, then we would have had the undefeated/winless condition for a few minutes.

I'll look further back through the records on Monday to see if there are any years that meet the spirit of OO's question.

I thought that that question might pique your interest.

I was thinking maybe 1949, or some of the years in the 50's when we had good records.

Or before 1949.

Or never.

IAC, it is true in 2025.

Back through 1931, the joyous condition that OO (and the rest of us) are currently celebrating -- i.e., Rice undefeated and UT & Alabama both winless -- happened only once: in 1956.

Rice opened that season on Sept. 22 by beating the Crimson Tide, 20-13, while Texas lost to USC, 44-20 on the same day.

Bama lost its first four games that year, but the 'Horns won their next game (Sept. 29 ... 7-6 over Tulane). So the OO condition lasted only a week.

On Sept. 24, 1955, we also opened the season with a win over Alabama, 20-0. UT had lost its first game to Texas Tech (20-14), but that was on Sept. 17. The 'Horns won their Sept. 24 game vs Tulane, 35-21.

FTR, we had three streaks of winning our first game of the season for six years in a row: 1961-66, 1952-57 & 1931-36.

BTW, 1955 was the first season that Bama was coached by J.B. "Ears" Whitworth. He was not an instant success, going 0-10 that year - Bama's first winless season since 1895.

But it turns out Whitworth had served under difficult conditions -- unable to hire his own staff and the meddlesome Bama AD was also a line coach.

Here's a link to an interesting 2009 deep-dive article into Whitworth's tenue in Tuscaloosa: https://web.archive.org/web/200906181130...-football/

Quote:Average height, a little thick around the middle, a strong nose, average lips and a weak chin. And ears. Ears that, upon catching the right wind, might have lifted a slighter man clean off the ground. No key is needed to pick Whitworth out of the 1930 Alabama team photo. One only has to look for the man who appears to have two moths settling simultaneously on either side of his head.

After identical 2-7-1 campaigns in '56 & '57 Ears was let go ... and then the AD resigned. Bama hired Bear Bryant. We know how that turned out.

https://www.rollbamaroll.com/2009/6/10/9...ball-coach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennings_B._Whitworth

1956...six years before I even heard of Rice.

Not surprised that we had to do half the work ourselves, though.

In ESPN's new SP+ rankings today, Rice moved up 8 slots to #110.

Louisiana dropped 14 spots to #92.

UH jumped up 13 to #51.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...-fbs-teams

Bill Connelly Wrote:(SP+ is) a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency that I originally created at Football Outsiders in 2008. SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking (hence the lack of unbeatens near the top), so it does not automatically give credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system does.

It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.

Note: Early in the season, ratings are based primarily on preseason projections, including special teams ratings. Because priors remain rather predictive over the course of the season, preseason numbers are very slowly phased out from week to week.

(09-01-2025 01:33 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 12:14 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Except for the years in which Rice played Houston to open the season, this is only the 2nd time the Owls have been undefeated (with at least 1 win) immediately prior to playing the Cougars (2018).

There never has been a year in which both teams were undefeated (with at least 1 win) prior to the game

Let’s also not forget 2008 where Houston, Rice, and Tulsa all entered Bayou Bucket week (rivalry week) with a path to the CUSA Western Division title and a conference championship game berth.

Houston had the inside track, but Rice’s 56-42 win at HRS gave the 7-1 Owls a share of the division title. Tulsa’s win the same night gave them the title game berth over Rice on the head-to-head tiebreaker. When ECU (5-3) went on to beat Tulsa for the league championship, Rice remained standing as the league’s only once-beaten squad that year.

And in the past decade, Hou has won every time except 1 year.

Through the 2024 season, Houston leads the series 34–12 against Rice.

Last year, Hou won 33–7 win for Houston. Rice has to score more against a solid Houston defense if they have any chance. The Cougars just pitched a shutout in Week 1 and look fast, aggressive, and opportunistic under new DC Austin Armstrong. Last year you could see the difference in talent between the teams.

We'll see if Scott Abell’s spread-option attack gives Houston something unique to prepare for—lots of misdirection, tempo, and clock control.

(09-01-2025 06:02 PM)antoniovaldez7777 Wrote:  And in the past decade, Hou has won every time except 1 year.

Interesting wording, to imply a 9-1 record over the previous 10 seasons.

From 2015-2024, Houston had a 5-1 record over Rice. They did not play in 4 of those years.

If the predictive nature of the SP+ ratings is found in the difference of ratings, Rice is 16 point underdog.

At CBS Sports, the spread is 12.5.

So, once again, a two play difference, more or less.

About what we faced - and overcame - last week.

(09-01-2025 06:02 PM)antoniovaldez7777 Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 01:33 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 12:14 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Except for the years in which Rice played Houston to open the season, this is only the 2nd time the Owls have been undefeated (with at least 1 win) immediately prior to playing the Cougars (2018).

There never has been a year in which both teams were undefeated (with at least 1 win) prior to the game

Let’s also not forget 2008 where Houston, Rice, and Tulsa all entered Bayou Bucket week (rivalry week) with a path to the CUSA Western Division title and a conference championship game berth.

Houston had the inside track, but Rice’s 56-42 win at HRS gave the 7-1 Owls a share of the division title. Tulsa’s win the same night gave them the title game berth over Rice on the head-to-head tiebreaker. When ECU (5-3) went on to beat Tulsa for the league championship, Rice remained standing as the league’s only once-beaten squad that year.

And in the past decade, Hou has won every time except 1 year.

Through the 2024 season, Houston leads the series 34–12 against Rice.

Last year, Hou won 33–7 win for Houston. Rice has to score more against a solid Houston defense if they have any chance. The Cougars just pitched a shutout in Week 1 and look fast, aggressive, and opportunistic under new DC Austin Armstrong. Last year you could see the difference in talent between the teams.

We'll see if Scott Abell’s spread-option attack gives Houston something unique to prepare for—lots of misdirection, tempo, and clock control.

The talent difference only felt significant between the Rice offense and the UH defense. The Rice defense kept up mostly fine with the UH offense. The scoreboard looks worse than it was for the defense because there was a punt return TD, a TD scored after what should have been a 3 and out because of a muffed punt, and a TD scored because the drive started at our own 1 after a pick. It was a 20-0 game disguised as a 33-7 game.
And seeing how the UH offense struggled against SFA I imagine our defense should also keep up this year. The question will be, like you said, whether the offense will actually do something this time.

Getting some ESPN love from Bill Connelly (SP+ creator). It's in his Rapid-Fire Overreactions section (it's a long post). It starts with the following, and includes a quick video of the Turner TD.

Quote:Because I didn't include a "how sexy is your offense?" component in preseason SP+ projections, Rice was projected only 116th, with an average projected win total of 4.8, heading into Scott Abell's first season in charge. But that offense did something sexy Saturday.

source: https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...ng-alabama

EDIT: Quick recognition for WIowl posting this on the UH thread just before me getting it here. I've been trying to post a screen capture of the posting most of this afternoon, but couldn't get the image to display from my share drive. Anyone else seeing this issue? I've posted screen captures before this way, but now it's not working.

(09-02-2025 03:57 PM)gsloth Wrote:  Getting some ESPN love from Bill Connelly (SP+ creator). It's in his Rapid-Fire Overreactions section (it's a long post). It starts with the following, and includes a quick video of the Turner TD.

Quote:Because I didn't include a "how sexy is your offense?" component in preseason SP+ projections, Rice was projected only 116th, with an average projected win total of 4.8, heading into Scott Abell's first season in charge. But that offense did something sexy Saturday.

source: https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...ng-alabama

EDIT: Quick recognition for WIowl posting this on the UH thread just before me getting it here. I've been trying to post a screen capture of the posting most of this afternoon, but couldn't get the image to display from my share drive. Anyone else seeing this issue? I've posted screen captures before this way, but now it's not working.

(09-02-2025 02:57 PM)TheOwl84 Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 06:02 PM)antoniovaldez7777 Wrote:  Last year, Hou won 33–7 win for Houston. Rice has to score more against a solid Houston defense if they have any chance. The Cougars just pitched a shutout in Week 1 and look fast, aggressive, and opportunistic under new DC Austin Armstrong. Last year you could see the difference in talent between the teams.

We'll see if Scott Abell’s spread-option attack gives Houston something unique to prepare for—lots of misdirection, tempo, and clock control.

The talent difference only felt significant between the Rice offense and the UH defense. The Rice defense kept up mostly fine with the UH offense. The scoreboard looks worse than it was for the defense because there was a punt return TD, a TD scored after what should have been a 3 and out because of a muffed punt, and a TD scored because the drive started at our own 1 after a pick. It was a 20-0 game disguised as a 33-7 game.
And seeing how the UH offense struggled against SFA I imagine our defense should also keep up this year. The question will be, like you said, whether the offense will actually do something this time.

Yeah, take Houston (giving ~12 pts) and the under.
Hope I'm proven wrong again!

Obviously a lot to work on still, and the Owls will surely face better QBs going forward. But I don't think I've ever been so encouraged after a Rice Football coaching regime's first game.

(09-03-2025 10:57 AM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  Obviously a lot to work on still, and the Owls will surely face better QBs going forward. But I don't think I've ever been so encouraged after a Rice Football coaching regime's first game.

The 1-point loss to a good UH team to open the Graham era comes to mind. After years struggling to pass the ball, to look so good through the air, showcasing Clement and Dillard under Major Applewhite, was exciting.

Conversely, seeing the run game have dominating drives is a comparable turnaround feeling, plus this was on the road and most importantly, a win.

(09-02-2025 02:57 PM)TheOwl84 Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 06:02 PM)antoniovaldez7777 Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 01:33 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(09-01-2025 12:14 PM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  Except for the years in which Rice played Houston to open the season, this is only the 2nd time the Owls have been undefeated (with at least 1 win) immediately prior to playing the Cougars (2018).

There never has been a year in which both teams were undefeated (with at least 1 win) prior to the game

Let’s also not forget 2008 where Houston, Rice, and Tulsa all entered Bayou Bucket week (rivalry week) with a path to the CUSA Western Division title and a conference championship game berth.

Houston had the inside track, but Rice’s 56-42 win at HRS gave the 7-1 Owls a share of the division title. Tulsa’s win the same night gave them the title game berth over Rice on the head-to-head tiebreaker. When ECU (5-3) went on to beat Tulsa for the league championship, Rice remained standing as the league’s only once-beaten squad that year.

And in the past decade, Hou has won every time except 1 year.

Through the 2024 season, Houston leads the series 34–12 against Rice.

Last year, Hou won 33–7 win for Houston. Rice has to score more against a solid Houston defense if they have any chance. The Cougars just pitched a shutout in Week 1 and look fast, aggressive, and opportunistic under new DC Austin Armstrong. Last year you could see the difference in talent between the teams.

We'll see if Scott Abell’s spread-option attack gives Houston something unique to prepare for—lots of misdirection, tempo, and clock control.

It was a 20-0 game disguised as a 33-7 game.

No it wasn't. It was a complete blowout last year. Coog's had many of their 3rd string players which would have been a 40-50pt+ blowout if they kept their starters in.