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The Roost Podcast | Ep 149 – AAC Draft, State of Texas Preview with Mike Craven

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The Roost Podcast continues its AAC football previews with DCTF’s Mike Craven, drafting every AAC city and discussing key storylines in Texas.

Rice football officially joined the AAC on July 1, meaning Rice fans can swap Ruston, LA for New Orleans and Murfreesboro, TN for Memphis, TN on their future road trip schedules. Mike Craven from Dave Campbell’s Texas Football helped us draft every AAC school and walked us through the most pressing storylines in the state, keying in on which programs face the most pressure in 2023 and beyond.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 149.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better. The 2023 Rice Football Season Preview is available exclusively for subscribers right now!

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2023 Texas college football preview with Mike Craven

  • What’s going on with the state’s newest FBS team, Sam Houston?
  • Is 2023 finally the year for Texas?
  • Why might SMU be the team poised to take the most advantage of realignment moves in the near term?
  • What does Rice have going for it in 2023?
  • What should success look like for the Owls this season? Moving forward?
  • The Lightning Round, Texas Style

AAC Football Road Trip Draft

The rules were straightforward. You’re taking your dream road trip through AAC programs and get to enjoy the destinations themselves, food, culture, entertainment, etc. Where are you going to go? We drafted every city from No. 1 (Annapolis) to No. 15 (Denton). Which is your favorite draft?

The Roost Podcast, AAC, AAC football

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 148 – ’23 USF Preview with Seth Varnadore

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The Roost Podcast continues its AAC previews. Up next: Seth Varnadore of the Daily Stampede previews USF football in 2023.

Rice football will face USF football in the Owls’ first-ever AAC game. Before the Owls and Bulls take the field in late September, though, there’s a lot of change underway in Tampa. USF has a new head coach, Alex Golesh, and a rebuilt roster. What should we expect from the team in 2023? USF insider Seth Varnadore from The Daily Stampede fills us in on the program’s outlook this season and beyond.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 148.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2023 USF football with Seth Varnadore

  • Who is Alex Golesh and what will he bring to USF?
  • Is there “nowhere to go but up” for USF in 2023?
  • Can USF implement a Tennessee-style offense quickly?
  • What do those offensive adjustments mean for the defense?
  • What does success look like in Year 1 for Golesh and the Bulls?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 147 – ’23 Charlotte Preview with Hunter Bailey

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The Roost Podcast continues its AAC previews. Up next: Hunter Bailey of the Charlotte Observer previews Charlotte football in 2023.

Charlotte football is one of the six programs (along with Rice) making the leap up from Conference USA to the American this season. The 49ers are doing so with a brand new coach and lots of uncertainty surrounding the program. Hunter Bailey, who covers the 49ers for the Charlotte Observer, joins the show this week to shed some light on the changes and fill us in on what to expect from the program in 2023 and beyond.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 147.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2023 Charlotte football with Hunter Bailey

  • Did Charlotte just hire the polar opposite head coach?
  • Who is Biff Poggi and what will the 49ers look like under is leadership?
  • How much access should the media get to G5 programs?
  • Which new faces will make the biggest splash for Charlotte this season?
  • Can Poggi get the most out of the talent he’s assembled?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 146 – ’23 Tulane Preview with Fear The Wave’s Kelly Comarda

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The Roost Podcast continues its AAC previews. Up next: Kelly Comarda of the Fear The Wave previews Tulane football in 2023.

The last time Rice football and Tulane met regularly on the field, both programs were in very different places. The Green Wave weren’t conference championship caliber quite yet; it was the Owls that were piling up points and wins in those years. Now Rice is on the come up and Tulane is the team to beat. Kelly Comarda from Fear the Wave describes the transformation in this week’s episode.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 146.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

Homefield

We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite. Shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Patreon

Get exclusive insight on Patreon. Be the first to get the inside scoop on what’s going on with Rice football and stick around for even further analysis. That includes practice updates, analysis and more. Your support matters and makes The Roost better.

Become a Patron!

Previewing 2023 Tulane football with Kelly Comarda

  • How did Tulane pull off its magical 2022 season?
  • Has there ever been another Willie Fritz, a coach to win big so late in his career?
  • Do the Mean Green have the right pieces to make another run at an AAC title?
  • Where does NIL fit in Tulane’s journey to success?
  • Which pieces could be difference-makers on defense?
  • The Lightning Round

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

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

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First Look: Rice Football, AAC Over/Under Odds

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Earlier this week Circa Sports posted early over/under odds for every FBS team. Here’s where Rice football and other AAC teams stack up.

AAC Teams

  • Charlotte – 3
  • Tulsa – 4.5
  • UAB – 4.5
  • USF – 4.5
  • Rice – 4.5
  • Temple – 5
  • East Carolina – 5.5
  • Navy – 6
  • North Texas – 6
  • FAU – 7.5
  • SMU – 8
  • UTSA – 8
  • Memphis – 8.5
  • Tulane – 9

Rice football nonconference opponents

  • Texas Southern – n/a
  • UConn – 4.5
  • Houston – 4.5
  • Texas – 9.5

Takeaways

On the AAC front, Tulane being projected as the front-runner in the league isn’t too much of a surprise, especially with the return of quarterback Michael Pratt, several other key players and some added reinforcements from the transfer portal.

What might be most compelling to watch is the race alongside them. Four additional schools (FAU, SMU, UTSA and Memphis) are within a game and a half of first. That means if the conference race seems fairly wide open to you, oddsmakers are feeling the same way and looking to hedge their bets.

Likewise, there’s a game and a half gap between the next teams (North Texas and Navy) and everyone else in the conference, save Charlotte. Vegas doesn’t have much faith in the 49ers and their new head coach, but it doesn’t seem confident in anyone else to be a surefire bowl team either. That’s the recipe for a chaotic and exciting season.

As for Rice football, the Owls are pegged to finish in the middle to bottom of the new-look AAC. After finishing around the four to five-win mark in recent years and the step up in some of the competition they’ll face, that doesn’t feel too surprising.

What is most intriguing, though, is the quality of the Owls’ opponents. Rice plays Charlotte, Tulsa, UAB, USF, ECU, UConn and Houston in 2023. Add in Texas Southern and that’s eight of 12 opponents projected to be either from the FCS ranks or projected to be at or below .500. There are hard games coming (UTSA, SMU, Tulane, Texas) but Rice won’t absolutely require a miraculous upset to reach bowl eligibility.

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

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