The source for Rice sports news

College Football and COVID-19: End of July Roundup

By

This week has brought plenty of updates as to the status of the upcoming college football season amid a pandemic. Here are a few highlights.

It wasn’t that long ago that we thought we’d have answers regarding the status of the upcoming football season by the time August arrived. With August here, uncertainties seem as abundant as they were months ago. Here’s a snapshot of what’s happened in recent days and weeks and, as a result, what we know about the upcoming season.

Big 12 planned media days … and then canceled them

Most every conference postponed their regularly scheduled media days with the season teetering back and forth. The Big 12 is the first FBS league to set a date for a virtual media day with limited participation. That lasted a few days before it was canceled.

ACC adopts Conference +1 scheduling

The Big Ten and the Pac-12 were the first Power 5 conferences to chop off the nonconference portion of their schedule entirely. The ACC is planning for a hybrid approach, allowing each team to play 10 conference games plus one nonconference opponent. And for the first time in their history, Notre Dame will have an opportunity to compete for a conference championship.

SEC moves to conference-only schedule

Shortly after the ACC decision, the SEC  became the next major domino to fall. That left the Big 12 as the only P5 conference with non-conference games. This decision directly impacts Rice football, which was originally scheduled to play LSU in Houston on September 19.

Opt-outs begin

With most conferences sponsoring some sort of scholarship protection should a player decide not to play this season, we knew opt-outs were going to occur. With prominent NFL players making the decision not to play this week, college players have started to follow suit. The most notable so far is Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley, projected by some to be a first-round pick.

COVID protocol suspensions at Arizona

For the most part, schools are taking the current health challenges as seriously as possible. Michigan State and Rutgers have quarantined their entire football teams in July. Meanwhile, in Arizona, Kevin Sumlin’s staff has suspended a player for violating safety protocols.

NCAA guidance slim, but fearful

The NCAA has offered little guidance during the past few months, following behind their member institutions and offering vague comments that all precautions must be taken. NCAA President Mark Emmert said this week he was “very concerned” about the status of fall sports.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

The Roost Podcast | Ep. 44 – 2020 Houston Football Preview

By

The Roost Podcast welcomes Sam who covers Houston football with the Scott and Holman Pawdcast to break down the Cougars’ upcoming season.

The Extended Offseason series takes its first step away from Conference USA this week. After touching base with folks in the know across C-USA, we venture across town for a Bayou Bucket discussion with Sam from the Scott and Holman Pawdcast Sam and his co-host Dustin cover all things Houston football.

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with Sam on Episode 44.

Episode 44 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you check out the Scott and Holman Pawdcast on Twitter and let them know you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Rice/COVID-19 Updates — Rice football back to regularly scheduled offseason workouts and the university has announced its plans for the upcoming fall. As of now, the Owls’ first football game is scheduled to kick off within a month’s time.
  • Sam and Dustin join the show — Sam and Dustin talked through what’s been an up and down offseason for Houston football and gave us this inside scoop on the latest happenings across town:
    • Expectations for newly minted Cougars’ starting quarterback Clayton Tune
    • What to make of Dana Holgorsen’s “Year 0” and redshirt usage
    • Who steps up on the Houston defense this season?
    • The possibilities for an altered schedule and an extended crosstown series
    • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

Rice Football: 2021 Safety Joshua Williams commits to Owls

By

The 2021 Rice Football recruiting class has added their first defensive back pledge. Safety Joshua Williams has committed to the Owls.

As has previously been the case under Mike Bloomgren, Rice has been choosy with their offers in this cycle. The 50th offer of the 2021 Rice Football recruiting class wasn’t issued until late June. Rice handed out a half dozen offers at that time, including one to Linden, AL safety Joshua Williams. Roughly one month later, Williams has committed to the Owls.

Subscribe for recruiting news and analysis

Shortly after receiving his offer, Williams released a Top 5 featuring Rice, as well as Army, Navy, Georgia Southern and Yale. He also had offers from in-state programs like South Alabama and Troy as well as C-USA peer Western Kentucky, but education was something he said was important from the beginning. Ultimately, he felt comfortable enough to pull the trigger prior to the arrival of an uncertain fall.

Williams is the first Rice commit since quarterback Shawqi Itraish committed in mid-June. He brings the 2021 Rice football recruiting class headcount up to 10 commits, tied for the third-most in Conference USA. The Owls remain in the Top 5 of the conference ranks as the calendar approaches August.

More: 2021 Rice Football Recruiting Tracker

Versatility and flexibility are key descriptors in Brian Smith’s defense. Williams will probably start out at safety, but he’s adaptable and athletic enough to do a lot of things on the defensive side of the ball.

Williams can line up at corner and cover one-on-one as well as patrol the middle of the field. Moving around is something he’s always felt comfortable with, citing his versatility as a defining feature of his game.

He says he’s “a competitor who loves winning and hates losing” and that he’s “always willing to put in the necessary work to help improve my game.” The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Williams is going to be a valuable asset for the Owls.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

BREAKING: Rice Football non-conference game with LSU Tigers is canceled

By

Rice Football will no longer be playing LSU this season after the SEC opted to play a conference-only schedule this coming fall to mitigate COVID-19 risks.

Non-conference games are dropping like flies. Prior to Thursday afternoon, Rice Football remained one of a shrinking list of FBS teams with 12 scheduled opponents. The Big Ten and Pac-12 had already announced conference-only schedules this summer. Two additional dominoes in the nonconference trimming fell this week.

On Wednesday the ACC adopted a 10-game conference schedule with one non-conference game. Those non-conference games have yet to be announced. For now, the verdict ostensibly puts several Conference USA teams at risk for cancelation. Rice had no ACC opponents on their schedule, but they did have an SEC foe booked.

LSU was scheduled to play Rice at NRG Stadium on September 19th. That game will not be played.

Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated reported Thursday afternoon the SEC would be playing a conference-only schedule in 2020. The league would delay their start date until Sept. 26, under the expectation there would need to be some lag time between the date students return to campus and the start of the season. That would allow for some leeway should there be a spike in cases when students return.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Conference USA has not commented publically on potential scheduling considerations in recent weeks. At time of publication, no statement was issued from the league office in response to either the ACC or SEC decisions.

Rice Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard addressed the announcement directly in a statement:

“I’m disappointed we will not be able to play LSU this season, but given the current situation, it was not unexpected. I know our fans have anticipated hosting LSU for the first time in nearly 40 years since we announced it in 2016 and that excitement only grew after LSU won the national title last year.  We will work with LSU to see if there is an opportunity in a future season to reschedule the game.”

What’s next?

Also in the release from the university, Rice indicated they plan to play the rest of their schedule as currently constructed: “Rice is currently scheduled to open the 2020 season on September 3 at the University of Houston and open the home schedule the following week when they welcome Army to Rice Stadium.”

Karlgaard confirmed as much in a follow up conversation with media on Thursday afternoon. He said the Owls are “still planning to play those games scheduled.” He also indicated he’d had conversations with the athletic directors at Army, Houston and Lamar in the past week. As of now, those games are still on.

In somewhat of an unconventional agreement, the original deal called for Rice to play LSU a guarantee. Rice planned to recoup ticket sales from the game, something that grew more and more unlikely as the date approached. As is the case with the bulk of the recently canceled games across the nation, it’s unclear how the dollars and cents will pan out in the end.

As far as a replacement game goes, Karlgaard isn’t rushing to add anyone to the schedule just yet. He indicated he would be listening to what decision-makers in the Big 12 do. There would also be a continual line of communication with Conference USA athletic directors and presidents, too. He called the notion of a traditional 12-game schedule “dubious” at this point in time.

Alternatives are being considered. When asked about the potential for a spring season, Karlgaard said the conference remains focused on playing in the fall “until its determined we can’t do that any longer.” He suggested sometime in early October as a potential cutoff point. But as is the case with the entire situation, everything remains fluid.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts

How do FBS/FCS Schedule Changes impact Rice Football? All-American Q&A

By

All-American Level subscribers on our Patreon page get access to a monthly Q&A with me. Here’s our July edition, focusing on scheduling changes.

Q. James Madison has told the CAA that it intends to try to play football as an independent this year and is trying to put together a group of schools from the Sun Belt and CUSA to play this year.  All would be close by including App State, Liberty, Marshall, Charlotte, probably ODU and other schools to play 8 games within day trip range.  Could this be the beginning of the end of the Sun Belt and CUSA as currently arranged and a reorganization that would greatly cut travel costs for all.  Does JMU have a chance to pull this off and how will it affect Rice?

A. First off, I love that we’re starting with realignment and some wide-ranging college football discussions. Let’s dive in.

I don’t see any way that James Madison’s upcoming football schedule directly impacts the future of Conference USA. But (and it’s a rather crucial but), I think the ramifications of scheduling in 2020 could impact what schedules look like in 2021 and possibly beyond. The more unconventional this season becomes, the more it changes the future.

The more examples we see of regionalized schedules working the harder it will be for Conference USA to continue justifying a flight from Norfolk, VA to El Paso, TX.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Now, I wouldn’t bet on a clean reorganization of G5 conferences and the upper tier of the FCS. As much sense as it would make to split the Sun Belt and C-USA along East and West, the practicalities of making it happen seem impossibly difficult to navigate unless the financial situations of both conferences change. If someone can convince media partners they’d rather televise Marshall v JMU instead of FAU vs UTEP, that might escalate conversations.

And then there’s Rice. We talked with Aaron Coleman with the Runnin’ With the Herd Podcast on The Roost Podcast last week. He actually hit on the fact that Huntington, WV is only six hours further from Houston than El Paso. Bizarre.

The Owls lack a key bargaining chip to improve their status for the time being, the best they can hope for is a continued ascent of the football program under Bloomgren with some facilities improvements (primarily on Rice Stadium) forthcoming. If they can do that, they’ll be an attractive suitor with all of this finally does hit the fan.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

Recent Posts