Rice football won’t open its season against Lamar after all. The two programs have agreed to cancel their game.
The Southland Conference announced the cancelation of its 2020 fall football season last week, leaving the possibility for non-conference play up to each member institution. At that time, Rice was the only remaining opponent on the Lamar schedule. That game has since been canceled.
In a release from the university, Lamar announced the decision: “Lamar University and Rice have agreed to cancel their football game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, in Houston.”
On July 30, Rice football lost its first game. The SEC’s decision to move to a conference-only scheduled put an end to a scheduled matchup with LSU. Rice then made the move to delay games against Houston and Army, buying themselves three more weeks of runway before their season began.
The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series
The cancellation of the Lamar contest leaves Rice without any non-conference games on their schedule. Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard indicated the door was still open for Rice to add a non-conference game to their schedule if the logistics made sense. That additional opponent would almost certainly be Army or Houston.
Rice currently has an open date on October 17. Army’s previously scheduled game against Eastern Michigan was canceled, making the Black Knights available that weekend. Houston is scheduled to take on BYU in Provo, UT on that Friday, October 16th.
There’s plenty of time between now and October. Rice has football games to play before they have to act on the possibility of filling that open week. For the time being, Rice has eight conference games on the schedule and that’s it.
Rice football is now tentatively set to open the 2020 season on the road at Marshall on October 3. The Owls’ home opener would be the week later against UAB on October 10.
Whether there is football this fall or not, there’s going to be plenty to process as everyone works to find a new equilibrium in college sports. Stay current on those updates and following the always-active recruiting cycle by subscribing to The Roost on Patreon today.
