The 2026 Rice Football schedule was released by the American Conference on Thursday, including a full 12-game slate.
Opponents have been known for some time, but now we have dates and an order of play. The 2026 Rice football got a bit more real with the formal announcement by the conference office on Thursday which laid out the full slate of games the Owls will play this coming fall.
The American released this statement concurrently with the schedule:
The nonconference schedule is highlighted by six games against teams ranked in the top 25 of the final 2025 Associated Press poll, including three matchups against College Football Playoff participants and a showdown with defending national champion Indiana.
Teams from the American will play nine nonconference games against the Sun Belt, five against the newly reformed Pac-12 and SEC, four against the Mountain West, Conference USA and MAC, and three against the Big Ten. Additional matchups include two games against the Big 12, one against the ACC, as well as games against Notre Dame and UConn.
In conference play, 52 of the 56 league games will feature at least one team that played in Bowl Season last year.
Each of the 14 teams in the American will play eight conference games in 2026. The top two teams in the final single-division regular-season standings will meet in the American Conference Football Championship, which will be played Saturday, December 5.
So, here it is, the 2026 Rice Football schedule:
| Date | Opponent | H/A |
|---|---|---|
| Sep. 5, 2026 | Houston Christian | Home |
| Sep. 12, 2026 | Notre Dame | Away |
| Sep. 19, 2026 | Western Michigan | Home |
| Sep. 26, 2026 | Fresno State | Away |
| Oct. 3, 2026 | UTSA | Home |
| Oct. 10, 2026 | East Carolina | Away |
| Oct. 17, 2026 | Tulsa | Home |
| Oct. 24, 2026 | Florida Atlantic | Away |
| Oct. 31, 2026 | — OFF — | — |
| Nov. 7, 2026 | North Texas | Away |
| Nov. 14, 2026 | Tulane | Home |
| Nov. 19, 2026 | Temple (Thr) | Away |
| Nov. 28, 2026 | Army | Home |
Full Conference Schedule
Rice Schedule Release Video and Schedule
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