The No. 14 ranked USC Trojans will host the Rice Owls on Saturday, as the Lincoln Riley era begins in Los Angeles.
The Rice Owls went 4-8 in 2021 and have now not had a winning season since going 8-5 in 2014. As unimpressive as four wins may sound, it was the highest win total that the Owls have accumulated under head coach Mike Bloomgren who has an 11-31 overall record since taking over in 2018. The Owls welcome back seven starters on both sides of the ball this season.
The expectations are low again, as Rice's over/under win total at DraftKings is set a just 3.5. The Conference USA media poll, Phil Steele Magazine, and Athlon Sports all also have the Owls predicted to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the conference.
3?? Days Till We Back in Action ??#GoOwls?? x #RFND pic.twitter.com/u15E16cw0h
— Rice Football (@RiceFootball) August 31, 2022
Due to high academic standards and lack of success on the field, the Owls did not and are not a program you expect to benefit from the transfer portal. However, Rice lost its top receiver from last season, Jake Bailey, who caught 56 passes for 714 yards to SMU.
The Owls' quarterback situation is not stable, but they have announced that Wiley Green will get the starting nod against USC on Saturday. Green has thrown for 1,849 yards in four years of action as mostly a backup with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on a 53.6% completion percentage.