Complete with broadcast information and kickoff times, the 2021 Rice Football schedule has been released. Here are a few quick notes.
The opponents and the dates for the 2021 Rice football schedule had already been finalized. Now we know when the games are happening and (roughly) how to watch the Owls this fall. First, the schedule:
2021 Rice Football Schedule
Sat 9/4 @ Arkansas ESPN+/SEC+ 1:00 p.m. CT
Sat 9/11 Houston CBSSN 5:30 p.m. CT
Sat 9/18 @ Texas LHN 7:00 p.m. CT
Sat 9/25 Texas Southern ESPN Networks 5:30 p.m. CT
Sat 10/2 Southern Miss ESPN Networks 5:30 p.m. CT
Sat 10/16 @ UTSA ESPN Networks 5:00 p.m. CT
Sat 10/23 @ UAB ESPN Networks TBD
Sat 10/30 North Texas ESPN Networks 1:00 p.m. CT
Sat 11/6 @ Charlotte ESPN Networks 2:30 p.m. CT
Sat 11/13 WKU ESPN Networks 1:00 p.m. CT
Sat 11/20 @ UTEP ESPN Networks 3:00 p.m. CT
Sat 11/27 LA Tech ESPN Networks 12:00 p.m. CT
Where to watch
The “ESPN Networks” designation more than like means the game will be streamed on ESPN3 or ESPN+, you can sign up for the latter here. That means one streaming subscription will more than likely account for the vast majority of the games Rice football plays this coming season. After years of pivoting back and forth between Facebook, Stadium, NFL Network and others, it’ll be nice to have it all in one place.
A tale of two halves
For whatever reason, the early portion of the schedule is heavily weighted toward evening kickoffs. In fact, only the season opener at Arkansas kicks before 5:30 p.m. CT. Contrast that with the second half of the schedule, which has one game that begins at 3:00 p.m. or later. For those looking to brave the Texas heat, that’s actually the optimal combination.
Built-in flexibility
The move toward ESPN platforms does come with some wiggle room. Each of those game listed as “ESPN Networks” will officially have a 12 day window to accommodate changes to the linear television lineup. In laymen’s terms, that means all of those games can be moved throughout ESPN’s platform of networks however they see fit. That could mean altered kick times and perhaps, if the Owls fair well enough, an extra game on television, too.
