Both games will be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The 2012 game will be played on Sept. 29 and will be televised by FSN. A date for the 2013 game was not announced.
The Bayou Bucket presented by State Farm is played annually and features two schools from the same city. The rivalry has been played since 1971, but an award for the winner was not offered until 1974. Houston leads the overall series 27-11 and pummeled Rice 73-34 last season.
The 2013 Bayou Bucket will be the first match-up between Houston and Rice as non-conference foes since 2005. Houston is set to leave Conference USA to join the Big East on July 1, 2013.
As a result of the series being extended, Rice has postponed their 2013 home game against Louisiana Tech.
“We are excited this series will continue for the next two years and appreciate the efforts of everyone involved,” Houston Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “The Houston-Rice game is meaningful for our city, campuses and alumni, and we are pleased our football student-athletes will be able to enjoy this great intra-city rivalry.”
“It has always been our goal to do everything that we can to maintain the Bayou Bucket series,” Rice Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said. “It’s obvious how much this game means to the players on both teams and we need to continue to make sure that future generations of Owls and Cougars will have the same opportunity to win the Bucket.”