The Houston–Rice rivalry is a crosstown college rivalry between the Houston Cougars of the University of Houston and Rice Owls of Rice University. The universities are located approximately five miles from one another. It is one of the few NCAA Division I crosstown rivalries, and the closest geographic distance between two Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
The rivalry existed in a more official capacity after Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference in 1971, in which Rice was a charter member. Since the breakup of that conference in 1995, the rivalry has continued. In 2005, Rice joined Conference USA , of which Houston was a member, and again made the rivalry more relevant for conference titles as well. The two schools were once again in separate conferences after the 2012–13 school year once Houston joined the American Athletic Conference. Rice moved into the American in 2023, but at the same time Houston moved to the Big 12 Conference , so the two schools continue to compete in separate conferences.
Baseball
A game of the Silver Glove Series at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas The winner of the Silver Glove series between UH and Rice receives an award dubbed the "Silver Cup Trophy ". The teams played against each other for the first time in 1948. Through the 2025 season, Rice leads the series 110–93.[ 1] [ 2]
Both teams compete in the annual Houston College Classic , which began in 2001.
Bayou Cup Sport Basketball Teams First meeting January 8, 1972 Latest meeting December 6, 2023 Next meeting TBD Meetings total 84 All-time series Houston leads, 66–18 Largest victory Houston, 106–56 (January 12, 1977) Longest win streak Houston, 17 (January 8, 1972–January 3, 1980) Current win streak Houston, 8 (March 6, 2013–present)
Since 2002, Rice and Houston have competed for an award dubbed the "Bayou Cup " in men's basketball. Through the 2024–25 season, Houston leads the series 66–18.[ 3]
Game results
Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
Houston victories Rice victories
No. Date Location Winner Score 1 January 8, 1972 Houston Astrodome Houston 101–73 2 January 16, 1973 Rice Gymnasium # 12 96–77 3 March 5, 1973 Hofheinz Pavilion # 7 116–72 4 January 12, 1974 Rice Gymnasium Houston 95–86 5 March 7, 1974 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 107–62 6 January 11, 1975 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 91–70 7 March 11, 1975 Rice Gymnasium Houston 82–73 8 January 10, 1976 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 87–59 9 February 7, 1976 Rice Gymnasium Houston 99–79 10 January 12, 1977 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 106–56 11 February 8, 1977 Rice Gymnasium Houston 109–73 12 January 21, 1978 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 96–74 13 February 11, 1978 Rice Gymnasium Houston 87–62 14 February 25, 1978A Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 108–67 15 January 20, 1979 Rice Gymnasium Houston 101–75 16 February 10, 1979 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 75–72 17 January 3, 1980 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 78–70 18 February 19, 1980 Rice Gymnasium Rice 81–74 19 February 25, 1980B Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 92–80 20 January 3, 1981 Rice Gymnasium Houston 62–57 21 February 24, 1981 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 63–55 22 January 4, 1982 Hofheinz Pavilion # 14 63–61 23 February 23, 1982 Rice Gymnasium Houston 75–69 24 January 26, 1983 Rice Gymnasium # 9 76–40 25 February 26, 1983 Hofheinz Pavilion # 2 86–52 26 January 20, 1984 Hofheinz Pavilion # 4 72–42 27 February 22, 1984 Rice Gymnasium # 3 70–54 28 March 10, 1984C The Summit # 5 53–50 29 January 16, 1985 Rice Gymnasium Houston 77–73 30 February 17, 1985 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 96–91 31 January 11, 1986 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 71–68 32 February 12, 1986 Rice Gymnasium Houston 71–69 33 January 10, 1987 Rice Gymnasium Houston 71–36 34 February 7, 1987 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 75–62 35 February 3, 1988 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 84–67 36 March 5, 1988 Rice Gymnasium Houston 81–65 37 January 4, 1989 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 90–75 38 February 4, 1989 Rice Gymnasium Rice 67–66 39 January 6, 1990 Rice Gymnasium Houston 84–69 40 February 7, 1990 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 84–67 41 March 9, 1990D Reunion Arena Houston 90–81 42 January 9, 1991 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 80–73 43 February 9, 1991 Rice Gymnasium Rice 79–69
No. Date Location Winner Score 44 January 18, 1992 Rice Gymnasium Houston 74–60 45 February 19, 1992 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 86–83 46 February 2, 1993 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 65–61 47 March 3, 1993 Rice Gymnasium Rice 89–78 OT 48 February 5, 1994 Rice Gymnasium Houston 69–67 49 March 5, 1994 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 78–76 50 January 11, 1995 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 87–76 51 February 8, 1995 Rice Gymnasium Houston 73–67 52 January 13, 1996 Rice Gymnasium Houston 76–74 53 February 10, 1996 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 63–59 54 November 21, 1998 Rice Gymnasium Rice 69–64 55 December 7, 1999 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 84–71 OT 56 November 21, 2000 Rice Gymnasium Rice 65–45 57 November 29, 2001 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 62–61 58 November 27, 2002 Rice Gymnasium Rice 71–53 59 December 3, 2003 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 62–52 60 November 30, 2004 Rice Gymnasium Rice 74–73 61 January 11, 2006 Rice Gymnasium Rice 71–62 62 March 1, 2006 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 74–71 63 January 17, 2007 Rice Gymnasium Rice 76–71 64 January 31, 2007 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 70–63 65 March 9, 2007E FedExForum Houston 77–62 66 January 23, 2008 Reliant Arena Houston 69–60 67 February 23, 2008 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 71–62 68 February 7, 2009 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 72–65 69 February 28, 2009 Tudor Fieldhouse Houston 56–51 70 January 6, 2010 Tudor Fieldhouse Houston 83–66 71 March 3, 2010 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 78–70 72 January 26, 2011 Tudor Fieldhouse Rice 79–71 OT 73 March 5, 2011 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 72–57 74 February 8, 2012 Hofheinz Pavilion Rice 79–71 75 March 3, 2012 Tudor Fieldhouse Houston 76–75 76 January 30, 2013 Tudor Fieldhouse Rice 79–69 77 March 6, 2013 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 84–62 78 March 13, 2013F BOK Center Houston 72–67 79 December 21, 2013 Toyota Center Houston 54–52 80 January 28, 2015 Hofheinz Pavilion Houston 59–48 81 November 14, 2018 H&PE Arena Houston 79–68 82 November 19, 2019 Tudor Fieldhouse Houston 97–89 83 November 12, 2021 Fertitta Center # 15 79–46 84 December 6, 2023 Fertitta Center # 3 75–39 Series: Houston leads 66–18
Notes
A 1978 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournamentB 1980 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournamentC 1984 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournamentD 1990 Southwest Conference men's basketball tournamentE 2007 Conference USA men's basketball tournamentF 2013 Conference USA men's basketball tournament
The scoreboard at Robertson Stadium before the 2007 Bayou Bucket game Bayou Bucket Classic Sport Football Teams First meeting September 11, 1971 Latest meeting September 6, 2025 Next meeting TBD Meetings total 47 All-time series Houston leads, 35–12 Largest victory Houston, 64–0 (1989) Longest win streak Houston, 7 (2011–2022) Current win streak Houston, 2 (2024–present)
The football rivalry, sometimes referred to as the Bayou Bucket Classic ,[ 4] NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
The first official game between the teams was played in 1971 when Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference of which Rice was also a member. The teams previously met in a 1946 scrimmage marking Houston's inaugural season.[ 5] Bayou Bucket ,[ 6]
Although the last Southwest Conference football game was part of the series,[ 7] [ 8]
Notable games
September 11, 1971 : The first-ever matchup between Houston and Rice, The Cougars claimed a 23–21 victory over the Owls in what is still the most attended game in series history, with 62,000 people showing up to watch.[ 9]
December 2, 1995 : In what was the last football game in Southwest Conference history, Houston came away with a thrilling 18–17 victory over Rice thanks to two-fourth quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Chuck Clements.[ 7]
October 27, 2011 : No. 18 Houston cruised to a 73–34 victory over Rice behind nine touchdown passes from star quarterback Case Keenum. The game is notable for being the one in which Keenum set the all-time NCAA Division I passing touchdowns record.[ 10]
September 9, 2023 : Despite relinquishing a 21 point lead, Rice would prevail over Houston 43–41 in 2OT to claim their first victory in the series since 2010.[ 11]
Game results
Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to the game.
Houston victories Rice victories
No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 1 September 11, 1971 Rice Stadium Houston 23 Rice 21 2 September 9, 1972 Rice Stadium Rice 14 Houston 13 3 September 15, 1973 Astrodome # 18 24 Rice 6 4 September 14, 1974 Rice Stadium # 19 21 Rice 0 5 September 13, 1975 Astrodome Rice 24 Houston 7 6 November 27, 1976 Rice Stadium # 7 42 Rice 20 7 November 26, 1977 Rice Stadium Houston 51 Rice 21 8 December 2, 1978 Astrodome # 9 49 Rice 25 9 December 1, 1979 Rice Stadium # 10 63 Rice 0 10 November 29, 1980 Astrodome Rice 35 Houston 7 11 November 28, 1981 Rice Stadium Houston 40 Rice 3 12 November 27, 1982 Astrodome Houston 28 Rice 21 13 September 1, 1983 Rice Stadium Houston 45 Rice 14 14 December 1, 1984 Astrodome Houston 38 Rice 26 15 November 30, 1985 Rice Stadium Houston 24 Rice 20 16 November 29, 1986 Astrodome Rice 14 Houston 13 17 November 28, 1987 Rice Stadium Houston 45 Rice 21 18 November 26, 1988 Astrodome # 14 45 Rice 14 19 December 2, 1989 Rice Stadium # 13 64 Rice 0 20 September 29, 1990 Astrodome # 13 24 Rice 22 21 November 16, 1991 Rice Stadium Houston 41 Rice 21 22 November 28, 1992 Astrodome Houston 61 Rice 34 23 November 26, 1993 Rice Stadium Rice 37 Houston 7 24 November 26, 1994 Astrodome Rice 31 Houston 13 25 December 2, 1995 Rice Stadium Houston 18 Rice 17
No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 26 September 4, 1999 Robertson Stadium Houston 28 Rice 3 27 September 2, 2000 Rice Stadium Rice 30 Houston 27 OT 28 September 1, 2001 Robertson Stadium Rice 21 Houston 14 29 August 31, 2002 Rice Stadium Houston 24 Rice 10 30 August 30, 2003 Robertson Stadium Houston 48 Rice 14 31 September 5, 2004 Reliant Stadium Rice 10 Houston 7 32 November 26, 2005 Robertson Stadium Houston 35 Rice 18 33 September 2, 2006 Rice Stadium Houston 31 Rice 30 34 October 13, 2007 Robertson Stadium Houston 56 Rice 48 35 September 20, 2008 Rice Stadium Rice 56 Houston 42 36 November 28, 2009 Robertson Stadium # 25 73 Rice 14 37 October 16, 2010 Rice Stadium Rice 34 Houston 31 38 October 27, 2011 Robertson Stadium # 18 73 Rice 34 39 September 29, 2012 Reliant Stadium Houston 35 Rice 14 40 September 21, 2013 Reliant Stadium Houston 31 Rice 26 41 September 16, 2017 TDECU Stadium Houston 38 Rice 3 42 September 1, 2018 Rice Stadium Houston 45 Rice 27 43 September 5, 2020 TDECU Stadium Houston 49 Rice 3 44 September 11, 2021 Rice Stadium Houston 44 Rice 7 45 September 24, 2022 TDECU Stadium Houston 34 Rice 27 46 September 9, 2023 Rice Stadium Rice 43 Houston 41 2OT 47 September 14, 2024 TDECU Stadium Houston 33 Rice 7 48 September 6, 2025 Rice Stadium Houston 35 Rice 9 Series: Houston leads 36–12[ 8]
See also
List of NCAA college football rivalry games
References
^ "Baseball Plays Host to No. 5 Rice in Silver Glove Series this Weekend" . University of Houston. April 12, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2009 .^ "Official Athletic Site of the University of Houston" . Retrieved January 4, 2009 .^ "SRCBB - Matchup Finder" . Sports-Reference .^ Duarte, Joseph (February 18, 2020). "UH-Rice's 'Bayou Bucket Classic' moved to a Thursday night kickoff" . Chron . ^ Wizig, Jerry (1977). Eat 'Em Up, Cougars: Houston Football . The Strode Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-87397-122-1 . ^ "Las Vegas Bowl team history: Houston in Bayou Bucket Classic" . December 15, 2016.^ a b Khan, Sam Jr.; Wilson, Dave (December 2, 2020). " . ESPN . Retrieved December 9, 2020 . ^ a b "Winsipedia - Houston Cougars vs. Rice Owls football series history" . Winsipedia .^ Monceaux, Ryan (September 14, 2024). "53 Years Ago, UH Finally Met Rice on the Field" . GoCoogs.com . ^ "Houston QB has 9 TD passes in win" . The Seattle Times . October 27, 2011.^ Duarte, Joseph (September 10, 2023). "Rice holds off UH with 2OT victory to claim Bayou Bucket" . Houston Chronicle .
All-sports or multi-sport rivalries in NCAA Division I
Trophy/point system
Arizona–Arizona State (Territorial Cup Series) Boston University–Holy Cross (Turnpike Trophy) Clemson–South Carolina (Palmetto Series) George Mason–George Washington (Revolutionary Rivalry) Georgia Southern–Georgia State (Modern Day Hate) Indiana–Purdue (Indiana National Guard Governor's Cup) Iowa–Iowa State (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) James Madison–Old Dominion (Royal Rivalry) New Mexico–New Mexico State (Rio Grande Rivalry) Oklahoma–Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series) Oregon–Oregon State (Civil War Series) Sacramento State–UC Davis (Causeway Classic) South Florida–UCF (War on I-4)Texas–Texas A&M (Lone Star Showdown) Texas State–UTSA (I-35 Rivalry)UCLA–USC (SoCal BMW Crosstown Cup) Virginia–Virginia Tech (Commonwealth Clash) Defunct trophy/
Duke–North Carolina (Carlyle Cup) Kansas–Missouri (Border Showdown Series) Overall rivalries
BYU–Utah Canisius–Niagara (Battle of the Bridge) Cincinnati–Louisville Cincinnati–Memphis Cincinnati–Xavier Colorado State–Wyoming (Border War) Dartmouth–New Hampshire Duke–North Carolina Duke–North Carolina–NC State–Wake Forest (Tobacco Road) Florida–Kentucky Fordham–Manhattan (Battle of the Bronx)Fordham–St. John's George Mason–VCU Hofstra–Stony Brook (Battle of Long Island) Houston–Rice Houston–SMU Illinois–Indiana Illinois–Iowa Indiana–Kentucky Indiana–Purdue Iowa–Iowa State Kansas–Kansas State (Sunflower Showdown) Kansas–Missouri (Border War) Kentucky–Louisville Kentucky–Tennessee Lamar–McNeese (Battle of the Border)Louisville–Memphis North Carolina–NC State North Carolina–Wake Forest North Carolina A&T–North Carolina Central North Carolina A&T–Winston-Salem State NC State–Wake Forest Norfolk State–Old Dominion Old Dominion–William & Mary Oregon–Oregon State Pittsburgh–West Virgnia (Backyard Brawl) Princeton–Rutgers Tennessee–Vanderbilt UCLA–USC UConn–UMass
Conference
Territorial Cup (Arizona–Arizona State) Baylor–Houston Baylor–TCU Baylor–Texas Tech Holy War (BYU–Utah) Cincinnati–UCF Cincinnati–West Virginia Colorado–Kansas State Rumble in the Rockies (Colorado–Utah) Houston–Texas Tech Iowa State–Kansas State Sunflower Showdown (Kansas–Kansas State) TCU–Texas Tech Non-conference
Arizona–New Mexico Arkansas–Texas Tech Baylor–Rice Baylor–Texas Battle of the Brazos (Baylor–Texas A&M) The Old Wagon Wheel (BYU–Utah State) Beehive Boot (BYU–Utah–Utah State) The Keg of Nails (Cincinnati–Louisville) Victory Bell (Cincinnati–Miami) Cincinnati–Memphis Cincinnati–Xavier Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado–Colorado State) Colorado–Nebraska Houston–Rice Houston–SMU Cy–Hawk Series (Iowa–Iowa State) Telephone Trophy (Iowa State–Missouri) Iowa State–Nebraska Border War (Kansas–Missouri) Kansas–Nebraska Kansas State–Missouri Kansas State–Nebraska Kansas State–Oklahoma Friends of Coal Bowl (Marshall–West Virginia) Maryland–West Virginia Bedlam Series (Oklahoma–Oklahoma State) Oklahoma State–Tulsa Old Ironsides (Penn State–Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Penn State–West Virginia Backyard Brawl (Pittsburgh–West Virginia) SMU–TCU War on I-4 (South Florida–UCF) Syracuse–West Virginia TCU–Texas TCU–Texas A&M Texas–Texas Tech Texas A&M–Texas Tech Battle of the Brothers (Utah–Utah State) Virginia Tech–West Virginia
Conference
Arizona–Arizona State BYU–Utah Cincinnati–West Virginia Kansas–Kansas State Non-conference
Arizona–UCLA BYU–Gonzaga Cincinnati–Louisville Cincinnati–Memphis Cincinnati–Xavier Houston–Rice Houston–SMU Iowa Big Four Iowa–Iowa State Kansas–Missouri Marshall–West Virginia Oklahoma–Oklahoma State Pittsburgh–West Virginia South Florida–UCF
American Conference rivalries
Conference
Army–Navy Battle for the Bones (Memphis–UAB) Tulsa–Wichita State (men's basketball) Non-conference
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy (Air Force–Army–Navy) Paint Bucket Bowl (Arkansas State–Memphis) Army–Notre Dame Auburn–Tulane Auburn–UAB (men's basketball) Baylor–Rice Cincinnati–Memphis City 6 (Drexel–La Salle–Penn–Saint Joseph's–Temple–Villanova) East Carolina–Marshall East Carolina–NC State Shula Bowl (Florida Atlantic–Florida International) Houston–Rice Johns Hopkins–Navy Philadelphia Big 5 (Drexel–La Salle–Penn–Saint Joseph's–Temple–Villanova) Louisville–Memphis Battle for the Rag (LSU–Tulane) Crab Bowl Classic (Maryland–Navy) Memphis–Ole Miss Black and Blue Bowl (Memphis–Southern Miss) Navy–Notre Dame Gansz Trophy (Navy–SMU football) Safeway Bowl (North Texas–SMU) Oklahoma State–Tulsa Ole Miss–Tulane Oral Roberts–Tulsa (basketball) Mayor's Cup (Rice–SMU) Rice–Texas Saint Joseph's–Temple War on I-4 (South Florida–UCF; football)Battle for the Bell (Southern Miss–Tulane) Mayor's Cup (Temple–Villanova) I-35 Rivalry (Texas State–UTSA)
Links to related articles
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