Rice football postponed fall camp on Sunday. Will the Owls play at all this fall and when will that decision be made? Here’s the latest on the 2020 season.

A few weeks ago when programs around the nation returned to practice and college football started to seem more and more possible, my optimism for a Rice football season began to tick just a tad higher. When Rice opted to postpone their first two games and had the Lamar game canceled, I was hesitant but hopeful.

When Labor Day weekend arrived I was all but certain we were nearing a decision. With the season four weeks away and fall camp still not underway, Rice football either needed to get on the practice field or pack up their proverbial bags for the fall.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised then when Rice opted for door number three.

On Sunday, Rice announced a delay of its preseason practices. Rice won’t play a game without ample time to prepare. That means the likelihood of Rice traveling to Huntington, WV for an Oct. 3 kickoff against Marshall is slim to none.

So where do we go from here?

In the release, Rice commented on “school officials” seeking the procurement of “more rapid and reliable testing” as a key hurdle standing between the team and the approval to play. This was a university decision, not one initiated from the football program itself. The release also mentioned the school would “work with Conference USA on any adjustments to the Owls schedule.”

Those factors combined point to one final Hail Mary.

If the administration isn’t going to give the green light to play on Oct. 3 against Marshall, Rice certainly won’t be playing on Oct. 10 at home against UAB either. Look for postponements regarding both of those games in the coming days. The week after the UAB game is the Owls’ bye week. After that, Rice is scheduled to host Middle Tennessee on Oct. 24. That’s the last domino.

If Rice can acquire and implement rapid testing to the point where they feel they can prevent any sort of campus outbreak or outbreak within the athletics program, the Owls will play. If not, expect an announcement from the school in late Septemeber or early October canceling the season in its entirety.

Starting on Oct. 24 would allow Rice six conference games. They would likely push the conference to reschedule the UAB game to December 5, giving Rice seven conference games and aligning them with the minimum number of conference opponents matched by the entire East division as well as UAB and UTSA. That seems doable without jumping through too many hoops, meaning Rice could begin their season the week before Halloween and still compete for a conference title.

Does this even make sense?

Rice has been consistent in their desire to kick the can down the road since it became clear the pandemic would impact their athletics seasons. Their lack of transparency has been frustrating at times, but their commitment to move cautiously has been abundantly clear from the beginning.

That Rice would take this decision to the brink (and arguably past it) is less surprising than I might have originally believed, but the angst created by pushing things out further will have their toll.

If buying more time works and Rice can start on Oct. 24, the university will have effectively threaded the needle between absolute safety and athletic support. Canceling things at this juncture would be hard to swallow. If the season doesn’t seem doable now, why subject the players and staff to another month of waiting? The stress and mental health impacts of these decisions are real.

So, somewhat counterintuitively, the decision to push practice back allows for a reasonable amount of hope that Rice will play football this fall.

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