Sometimes coaches get fired despite overall good records they have not done well against the rival. It certainly adds weight toward a push for a new coach.

I don’t think anybody was ever fired for a poor record against Rice, despite overall good results.

One measure of whether or not we are a rival is the number of opposing fans who say something like “I don’t care if we go 1-11 as long as the win is against Rice”. I don’t think those words have ever been uttered by anybody, anywhere.