The Rice Owls will open the 2027 football season at home against the Duke Blue Devils, according to Rice’s game notes for its season-opener this weekend.
Rice had previously been scheduled to host Duke on September 4, 2027, a date announced last year. Per Rice’s game notes, the Blue Devils will now visit Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas, eight days earlier on Friday, August 27.
The date adjustment aligns with the NCAA’s June decision to adopt a uniform 14‑week regular season beginning in 2027. Under the new model, FBS programs may begin most seasons during what is currently known as Week Zero—the weekend before Labor Day—which will become the standard Week 1.
The Rice–Duke matchup next season marks the opening leg of a home‑and‑home series that will conclude at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C., on September 7, 2030. The programs have met six times, with Duke holding a 5–1 advantage in the all‑time series.
An amendment to the game contract obtained from Lamar University confirms that its 2027 contest against Rice has been moved from September 18 to September 4, a change also reflected in Rice’s game notes.
Rice’s remaining non‑conference slate next season features a home date with Fresno State on Sept. 11 and a road trip to Western Michigan on Sept. 25.
Duke, meanwhile, will host UConn on Sept. 11 and is set to welcome Notre Dame to Durham on a date still to be determined.
