(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.