In The News

The AP Top 25 Poll has been officially released but things feel different this year. With nine of the top teams listed in this year’s poll not even planning on playing a fall schedule and very limited non-conference play, we are poised for the most unique college football season we’ve ever been a part of.

Overall, we’re excited to get college football safely rolling, no matter what it looks like. The countdown to kickoff can finally begin! Read on to see which matchups we get to look forward to from the Big 12 and the SEC in Week 1.

The general uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to this season along with an unusual off season, essentially non-existent preseason coupled with all of the normal uncertainties that come with the start of a new season—we are surely in for a wild ride in 2020. It almost sounds crazy to say that we are officially one month out from Week 1 of college football, and we can’t wait.

WEEK 1 – Saturday, September 26

BIG 12

Kansas at Baylor

(23) Iowa State at TCU

Kansas State at (5) Oklahoma

West Virginia at Oklahoma State (15)

Texas (14) at Texas Tech

SEC

(3) Alabama at Missouri

(8) Florida at Ole Miss

(4) Georgia at Arkansas

Kentucky at (11) Auburn

Mississippi State at (6) LSU

(25) Tennessee at South Carolina

Vanderbilt at (13) Texas A&M

At first glance, Week 1 seem fairly tame and easily predictable. But it’s 2020. Anything can happen.

Which matchups are you looking forward to? Let us know on Twitter @LSSETexans.

Rice University Football 7/30/2020 3:50:00 PM By: Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)

The first meeting between Rice and LSU in football in Houston since 1983 has been cancelled due to a decision by the Southeastern Conference to reduce schedules to 10 conference games for 2020 season. The Owls and Tigers had been set to meet at 2:30 on September 19 at NRG Stadium.

"I'm disappointed we will not be able to play LSU this season, but given the current situation, it was not unexpected," Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard said. "I know our fans have anticipated hosting LSU for the first time in nearly 40 years since we announced it in 2016 and that excitement only grew after LSU won the national title last year. We will work with LSU to see if there is an opportunity in a future season to reschedule the game."

Fans who purchased advance tickets through Ticketmaster, the Rice Ticket office or the NRG box office will be contacted in the coming week regarding refund procedures. Fans who purchased through the LSU ticket office should contact them for information on refunds.  

The Owls and Tigers were looking to resume their series in Houston that began in 1915 when Rice defeated LSU 6-0 at West End Park in Houston.

Rice is currently scheduled to open the 2020 season on September 3 at the University of Houston and open the home schedule the following week when they welcome Army to Rice Stadium.

Texas high school star, NCAA All-American, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL quarterback and most recently, Grandpa. Gridiron Legend and Texas native took some time to sit down with Texans TV's Drew Dougherty for the first series of virtual 'Let's Talk Football' chalk-talks with Texas Bowl VIP's.

The former Texas high school football star reminisced about his experience under the Friday night lights, playing for his father and current Somerset High School Head Coach, Sonny Detmer.

Detmer went on to become a two-time NCAA All-American and a major impact player for BYU. In 1990, Detmer was awarded the Heisman Trophy, the former NCAA star shared a little about how memorable it was to receive the honor.

Finally, it wouldn't be a Texas Bowl event without asking for way too early Bowl predictions! Detmer weighed in on who he thinks will be a force in college football this fall.

The 2020 Texas Kickoff featuring Baylor vs. Ole Miss is scheduled to kick off Sunday, Sept. 6, moving from the previously scheduled date of September 5. The game, played at NRG Stadium in Houston, is slated to be part of ESPN’s Labor Day weekend opening schedule, airing on an ESPN network.

The fifth installment of the annual Sunday holiday weekend game will mark Dave Aranda’s head coaching debut at Baylor and Lane Kiffin’s first game with Ole Miss as head coach. Baylor is currently ranked number 25 in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 Rankings.

“ESPN’s Sunday game during kickoff weekend has quickly developed into a strong franchise,” said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president of programming and ESPN Events. “We look forward to continuing that success as we feature two head coaches in their inaugural games with two great programs. We want to thank the schools and our Texas Kickoff team for recognizing this unique opportunity.”

Fans interested in tickets for the event can visit www.texaskickoff.com and sign up for the Priority Wait List to receive the most up to date information for when single game tickets and suites will be released.  Tickets are also available through Baylor Athletics and Ole Miss Athletics via their ticket offices.

Kickoff time and network designation for the matchup will be available at a later date. ESPN’s early-season college football schedule will be announced in the coming weeks as conferences and television networks continue to prepare for the college football season.

ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 35 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes four early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, a college softball event and two college award shows, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.

For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

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Media contacts

ESPN Events: Anna Negron at anna.m.negron@espn.com or 860-256-1757
Texas Kickoff: Allie LeClair at Allie.LeClair@houstontexans.com or 832-919-0655

HOUSTON: Rice and LSU will line up for an afternoon meeting on September 19 at NRG Stadium as kickoff for the first meeting between the two schools in Houston since 1983 has been set for 2:30 p.m. to accommodate television scheduling.

Final broadcast details for the game will be announced in the near future.

Tickets for the defending national champion's first regular season appearance in Houston since facing the Owls in 1983 will go on a sale on Friday, May 15 with a portion of ticket sales between now and the end of May benefiting COVID-19 relief efforts in Houston.

Tickets start as low as $35 and will be available online on Friday, however interested fans can sign up for a special pre-sale on Thursday by registering in advance.

The Owls and Tigers will resume their series in Houston that began in 1915. This will be the 57th meeting between the two schools overall. The schools met continuously from 1932-52 and then again from 1955-83 and renewed the series in 2018 when Rice traveled to Baton Rouge. This will be the first time Rice has hosted a defending national champion since 2006 when the Owls hosted Texas at then-Reliant Stadium.
 
Season tickets for the Owls 2020 campaign, which include the Rice-LSU game as well as six games at Rice Stadium, are also currently on sale.

www.RiceOwls.com/news | 5/13/2020 |11:26:00 AM | By Chuck Pool (cpool@rice.edu)