What has happened to this Board? Where are the preseason predictions?
Here are the Official Rice Prognostication Predictions!
USC USC by 24
McNeese St. Rice by 21
Louisiana Rice by 7
UH UH by 14
UAB UAB by 7
Fau Rice by 7
La Tech Rice by 7
Charlotte Rice by 10
UTEP Rice by 10
WKU WKU by 10
UTSA UTSA by 14
North Texas Rice by 10
Total record 7-5 CUSA 5-3 Worst 4-8 CUSA 3-5 Best 8-4 CUSA 6-2
The many close games will be indicative of an exciting season!

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board? Where are the preseason predictions?
Here are the Official Rice Prognostication Predictions!
USC USC by 24
McNeese St. Rice by 21
Louisiana Rice by 7
UH UH by 14
UAB UAB by 7
Fau Rice by 7
La Tech Rice by 7
Charlotte Rice by 10
UTEP Rice by 10
WKU WKU by 10
UTSA UTSA by 14
North Texas Rice by 10
Total record 7-5 CUSA 5-3 Worst 4-8 CUSA 3-5 Best 8-4 CUSA 6-2
The many close games will be indicative of an exciting season!

I love this time of year. Optimism abounds!

(08-31-2022 08:15 AM)greyowl72 Wrote:  

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board? Where are the preseason predictions?
Here are the Official Rice Prognostication Predictions!
USC USC by 24
McNeese St. Rice by 21
Louisiana Rice by 7
UH UH by 14
UAB UAB by 7
Fau Rice by 7
La Tech Rice by 7
Charlotte Rice by 10
UTEP Rice by 10
WKU WKU by 10
UTSA UTSA by 14
North Texas Rice by 10
Total record 7-5 CUSA 5-3 Worst 4-8 CUSA 3-5 Best 8-4 CUSA 6-2
The many close games will be indicative of an exciting season!

I love this time of year. Optimism abounds!

And yet I am not...Optimistic.

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board? Where are the preseason predictions?
Here are the Official Rice Prognostication Predictions!
USC USC by 24
McNeese St. Rice by 21
Louisiana Rice by 7
UH UH by 14
UAB UAB by 7
Fau Rice by 7
La Tech Rice by 7
Charlotte Rice by 10
UTEP Rice by 10
WKU WKU by 10
UTSA UTSA by 14
North Texas Rice by 10
Total record 7-5 CUSA 5-3 Worst 4-8 CUSA 3-5 Best 8-4 CUSA 6-2
The many close games will be indicative of an exciting season!

3-9, worst 1-11, best 5-7

4-8

I take 'em one game at a time:

Game 1 Prediction: Wiley Green gets injured. Lincoln Riley wants to make a statement to his fan base and the opposition with a blowout win. No newspaper will print the score because of obscenity standards.

I find it hard to be optimistic or care enough to put this much thought into Rice football. Between Bailiff's extension and Bloomgren's (so far) failures ... meh. I sense I'm not alone. So its not "what has happened to this board" as much as "what has happened to Rice Football." If Rice had been even decent the last 5-7 years, I feel pretty confident that engagement would be higher.

USC by 45 in a "save the equipment" game.

After a 1-point win over McNeese I think we'll scratch out 3 more wins in our sh**ty conference. Will Bloomgren then remain as our coach? Incredibly, with Rice you never know.

(I hope we go 12-0+ and Bloomgren stays or gets hired away.)

USC L
McNeese St. W
Louisiana L
UH L
UAB W
Fau W
La Tech L
Charlotte W
UTEP W
WKU L
UTSA L
North Texas W

6-6 best
4-8 likely

My goal, as it should be for ALL of us... is for our team to do so well that our coach gets hired away and we have to hire another... preferably from within, but nonetheless.

If he's not getting hired away, there is a reason...

I'd PREFER that the reason be that others don't see that he can replicate the success because there is something inherent in his system that best/only works at a place like Rice... OR that he be so tied to us (like an alum) that it would take crazily more money to hire him away... but the idea that we can match or beat any top 50 program for salary or 'ease of recruiting' is just crazy.... so we need to be resigned for now anyway to a rinse and repeat of 'win pretty big within 3-5 years' and ne hired away or fired. This idea that it takes time to build a program (unless you're really doing something different) is just antithetical to the entire sport.... especially from within the coaching ranks. By that I mean, the fraternity of coaches isn't going to let a great coach not push forward on the pay scale somewhere.

49-14, USC
6-6 season

52-7 USC, in a come-from-behind performance by them.

3-9 (+/- 2)

48-10
6-6 on the year.

To ground everyone, here's what Vegas (well, perhaps Atlantic City, given that I'm pulling these on my phone in NJ) thinks:

CUSA Winner:

UAB +220
UTSA +220
WKU +500
FAU +550
MT +1000
UNT +1200
LA Tech +2800
UTEP +3000
Charlotte +4500
Rice +10000
FIU +10000

In other words, Rice has a less than 1% chance of winning the conference (when taking into account the vig).

For the O/U on regular season wins, I'm seeing 3.5, but closer to three than four as O 3.5 is +125 whereas under is -150.

USC score --- USC 52, Rice 7. Tanq +2 beer kits, Ham and Middle Ages -1 beer kit each.

USC L
McNeese St. W
Louisiana L
UH L
UAB L
Fau L
La Tech W
Charlotte L ©
UTEP L
WKU L
UTSA L
North Texas L

The only ones I see going one way or the other somewhat easily are FAU, L Tech, and Charlotte. Really the only team in Rice-class bad in LTech. Even N Texas is a class above Rice at this point, and more so WKU.

best -- 4-8 (with an upset somewhere in CUSA), worst 1 - 11, most likely 2 - 10.

Too bad we avoid FIU on the schedule this year, as we'd have a great shot to beat them.. Wonder if that was intentional by the schedule makers.

Ill take the under on 3.5 wins.

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board?

Don't blame the Board for the lack of enthusiasm around the football program. Going into year 5 with an underperforming, dull brand of football will do that.

(08-31-2022 01:26 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board?

Don't blame the Board for the lack of enthusiasm around the football program. Going into year 5 with an underperforming, dull brand of football will do that.

'Underperforming' actually underperforms as a description.

(08-31-2022 01:26 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(08-30-2022 11:37 PM)owlcarlos Wrote:  What has happened to this Board?

Don't blame the Board for the lack of enthusiasm around the football program. Going into year 5 with an underperforming, dull brand of football will do that.

Year 5? I count seven consecutive losing seasons going into an eighth by all projections. That's 1980s level futility against much weaker schedules.