Why We Don't Like You: Rice Owls
You Were Their Second Choice, After "Pass": Rice's roster is dotted with transfers from other schools, and some of their best players came to the Owls only after throwing in the towel at other schools. Quarterback Nick Fanuzzi started out at Alabama, but left after finding himself stuck as a backup. Same with Taylor Cook and Miami. Running back Sam McGuffie, whose highlight reel of hurdling opposing tacklers lit up YouTube, settled for Rice after one season at Michigan.
The Numbers Are In Our Favor: In the last four meetings since 2005, Texas has scored 50 or more points each time and Rice hasn't scored more than 14. That's 213-41 over that stretch. The average margin of victory is 43 points and the closest game was a 41-point win in 2005. Last year, Rice gave up an average of 43 points per game. Nate Silver is ready to call this one.
Obligations: Houston is a recruiting hotbed, and the Longhorns have a huge alumni base there, so Texas is obligated to play one game a year in the area to satisfy those two groups. We're not interested in playing Houston's high-flying offense, and we dropped the Cougars from the schedule in 2002 after they put up some rickety bleachers at Robertson Stadium to house our fans. So pushover Rice at cushy Reliant Stadium it is.
The MOB - Nerds!: Everyone says they love the Marching Owl Band (MOB), the ragtag bunch of jokers whose satirical halftime shows poke fun at opponents. But after some initial cuteness, the MOB's antics wear thin. Brainiacs in suits and fedoras giggling at their Dr. Who puns can only last so long.
