The 2025 Rice Football season isn’t done yet. The Owls are heading to the Armed Forces Bowl to play Texas State.
For the second time in the past four seasons, good grades will work in the favor of Rice football. Although they finished the regular season 5-7 and one win away from securing bowl eligibility, the Owls will accept a bowl bid as the highest-rated program in the Academic Progress Rate that was not already part of the initial field.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Rice football has accepted a bid to play in the Armed Forces Bowl on January 2. This will be the Owls’ second trip to the bowl game, most recently playing in it in 2012. The Owls’ opponent is slated to be Texas State.
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Decisions by Kansas State and Iowa State not to play in a bowl game, both of which came on Selection Sunday, opened the door for Rice football to extend its season. This will mark the third bowl game Rice football will play in in the span of four seasons. That’s just the second time the program has achieved that.
Rice Football Recent Bowl History
- 2023 First Responder Bowl: Rice lost to Texas State
- 2022 Lending Tree Bowl: Rice lost to South Miss
- 2014 Hawaii Bowl: Rice defeated Freson State
- 2013 Liberty Bowl: Rice lost to Mississippi State
- 2012 Armed Forces Bowl: Rice defeated Air Force
- 2008 Texas Bowl: Rice defeated Western Michigan
- 2006 New Orleans Bowl: Rice lost to Troy
