2-3 wins. I hope it's less because they may extend Bloomgren if the team shows signs of a pulse.

Spread for USC is 34.5. No one is taking the points?

Just like August 4 is Jimbo Fisher Day.

April 8th is Mike Bloomgren day.

Another year of 4-8

I think we go 6-6 and make a bowl appearance.

3 of those losses are by a TD or less, including one to a ranked team

Bloomgren signs a new contract. With a raise

(08-31-2022 12:04 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  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.

My goal, too.

But this thread is about expectations, not goals.

So I'm with the guy who HOPES we go 12-0. But not putting my money on that.

(08-31-2022 12:40 PM)tanqtonic Wrote:  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.

Ha!
1- MA and Ham get the opportunity to define "decent" in the phrase "decent bottle of booze" as Rice takes early lead.
2- Final: USC 59 Rice 10

3- Season:

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

Season Record 4-8 but huge variation in best/worst, given how crappy our conference is and how crappy we can be. Some of these games will be coin flips, and no one in the conference has depth so a few injuires here or there will make a huge difference

Upside 7-5, Downside 1-11

(08-31-2022 01:37 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(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.

My comment was directed at the current program leadership, but you are correct. The direction was not good coming into the last 4 years, but wasn't the new leadership supposed to change that. They were given resources the previous guys didn't have. It certainly hasn't gotten any better, and I'd argue the current "style" is much less enjoyable to watch. At least some of the former leadership's teams were fun to watch. Discipline/preparation was the frustrating part about the previous regime.

I'd divide the schedule into the following buckets:

Win: McNeese St

Probable Win: @ La Tech, UTEP

Toss Up: Charlotte, @ FAU, @ UNT

Probable Loss: Louisiana, UAB, @ WKU, UTSA

Loss: @ USC, @ Houston

Win the ones we should win and all of the toss ups and we are 6-6 and bowling. Spring the upset on Louisiana and maybe we are looking at 7-5 in the best case scenario (or more likely we have cushion to still get to 6-6 if we lose one of the toss ups).

Most likely scenario is we only win one of the toss ups and finish 4-8 again.

(09-01-2022 01:25 PM)RiceOwls2019 Wrote:  I'd divide the schedule into the following buckets:

Win: McNeese St

Probable Win: @ La Tech, UTEP

Toss Up: Charlotte, @ FAU, @ UNT

Probable Loss: Louisiana, UAB, @ WKU, UTSA

Loss: @ USC, @ Houston

Win the ones we should win and all of the toss ups and we are 6-6 and bowling. Spring the upset on Louisiana and maybe we are looking at 7-5 in the best case scenario (or more likely we have cushion to still get to 6-6 if we lose one of the toss ups).

Most likely scenario is we only win one of the toss ups and finish 4-8 again.

Good analysis except you should probably include an inevitable toe-stub game against someone the Owls should beat. 3-4 wins if things go as planned. 5 would likely get Bloom an extension, but no bowl. To get to 6 wins, the Owls will have to do something dramatically different than the last 4 years with respect to scheme, and I just don’t see that happening.

(09-01-2022 03:52 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(09-01-2022 01:25 PM)RiceOwls2019 Wrote:  I'd divide the schedule into the following buckets:

Win: McNeese St

Probable Win: @ La Tech, UTEP

Toss Up: Charlotte, @ FAU, @ UNT

Probable Loss: Louisiana, UAB, @ WKU, UTSA

Loss: @ USC, @ Houston

Win the ones we should win and all of the toss ups and we are 6-6 and bowling. Spring the upset on Louisiana and maybe we are looking at 7-5 in the best case scenario (or more likely we have cushion to still get to 6-6 if we lose one of the toss ups).

Most likely scenario is we only win one of the toss ups and finish 4-8 again.

Good analysis except you should probably include an inevitable toe-stub game against someone the Owls should beat. 3-4 wins if things go as planned. 5 would likely get Bloom an extension, but no bowl. To get to 6 wins, the Owls will have to do something dramatically different than the last 4 years with respect to scheme, and I just don’t see that happening.

Bloom wins 5 and gets an extension is the most Rice thing that could happen. See Polk, Bob. But at that progression, I guess we will win a national championship in 2035?

(09-01-2022 04:29 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  

(09-01-2022 03:52 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(09-01-2022 01:25 PM)RiceOwls2019 Wrote:  I'd divide the schedule into the following buckets:

Win: McNeese St

Probable Win: @ La Tech, UTEP

Toss Up: Charlotte, @ FAU, @ UNT

Probable Loss: Louisiana, UAB, @ WKU, UTSA

Loss: @ USC, @ Houston

Win the ones we should win and all of the toss ups and we are 6-6 and bowling. Spring the upset on Louisiana and maybe we are looking at 7-5 in the best case scenario (or more likely we have cushion to still get to 6-6 if we lose one of the toss ups).

Most likely scenario is we only win one of the toss ups and finish 4-8 again.

Good analysis except you should probably include an inevitable toe-stub game against someone the Owls should beat. 3-4 wins if things go as planned. 5 would likely get Bloom an extension, but no bowl. To get to 6 wins, the Owls will have to do something dramatically different than the last 4 years with respect to scheme, and I just don’t see that happening.

Bloom wins 5 and gets an extension is the most Rice thing that could happen. See Polk, Bob. But at that progression, I guess we will win a national championship in 2035?

First National Champ to average less than a thousand fans per game in attendance.

(08-31-2022 03:00 PM)greyowl72 Wrote:  I think we go 6-6 and make a bowl appearance.

3 of those losses are by a TD or less, including one to a ranked team

Bloomgren signs a new contract. With a raise

Yep, me too.

6-7 after falling short in the bowl game.

But I’ll take the forward steps.

Even the folks who think we’ll make a bowl don’t include it in the record.

We got this.

I go into every game thinking we have some chance of winning.

Maybe the opponent will dine on stuffed mongoose before the game?

The MOB is, as ever, prepared to cheer "We won the toss!" and "We scored first!".

(09-02-2022 05:37 PM)Grungy Wrote:  I go into every game thinking we have some chance of winning.

Maybe the opponent will dine on stuffed mongoose before the game?

The MOB is, as ever, prepared to cheer "We won the toss!" and "We scored first!".

Let’s hope you get to cheer “Go clock go!” …. For a good reason, not to stop the bleeding.

Another wildly disappointing season in the Bloom era with many unforced errors, bad play calling and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. 3-4 wins. JK spins it as an improvement as we were only a touchdown and a field goal away from bowl eligibility. 5 year extension for Bloom.

Bloomgren won’t save this program and unless he is gone next year he will kill it. Just flip on the South Dakota St, Sam, Ap State games and tell me Rice could play at that level.

4-8.

2-10 if Bloom is around all year
4-8 otherwise

If….

We can keep our ground game doing what it did in the 1H

We can learn to catch a ball that hits us in the hands

Mix in an occasional stop or turnover on defense

Then we can be good THIS year.

(09-03-2022 09:05 PM)owl at the moon Wrote:  If….

We can keep our ground game doing what it did in the 1H

We can learn to catch a ball that hits us in the hands

Mix in an occasional stop or turnover on defense

Then we can be good THIS year.

I felt the same from Section 102 (for once)
(with a side of "if specific players stay healthy")

Four drives in the first half:
Two scores
One long drive that cratered on two plays
Credible run and pass threats - and good mixing of the two

Defense was awful against one of the best offenses money did buy (we won't see that more than twice the rest of the year)

Any defense looks better when they only have to pass rush and cover

Just have to keep getting the ball to play makers

(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

Changing the UAB game to Rice by 10-14! Rice Fight!
The many close games will be indicative of an exciting season!