The Houston Cougars and the Rice Owls have scheduled a home-and-home football series for 2017 and 2018, the two schools announced today.
In the first game of the series, Houston will host Rice at TDECU Stadium on Sept. 30, 2017. The Cougars will then make the short trek to face the Owls at Rice Stadium on Sept. 1, 2018.
Houston and Rice, crosstown rivals, have faced each other 40 times in a series that began in 1971 and was officially dubbed the Bayou Bucket Classic in 1974. The Cougars lead the overall series 29-11 and have won the last three matchups.
“I know fans of both schools are excited to see this great series resume,” Rice Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard said. “The Bayou Bucket is a great tradition and I know our players look forward to the opportunity to bring it back to South Main.”
Houston now has three non-conference games scheduled for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 2017, the Cougars visit Arizona on Sept. 9 and host Texas Tech on Sept. 23. The following season, UH hosts Arizona on Sept. 8 and visits Texas Tech on Sept. 15.
Rice also has three non-conference games scheduled for 2017 and 2018. The Owls also host Stanford on Sept. 2, 2017 and Army on Sept. 23, 2017. In 2018, Rice is scheduled to visit Hawaii on Sept. 8 and Wake Forest on Sept. 15.
The Owls were previously scheduled to play a home-and-home football series against Northwestern in 2017 and 2018, but the series has been postponed to 2024-25 according to Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle.
Both schools also announced a non-conference addition for the 2016 season today. Houston will host Lamar on Sept. 10, 2016, while Rice will entertain Prairie View A&M on Oct. 22, 2016.
Football Schedules