Rice: 2026 Week 12 recap

Rice sits at 1–8 with a rating of −16.1 and no realistic path to the postseason. Last week's 52–23 loss at North Texas marked a steep decline, dropping the Owls 1.9 points in GIE's assessment. The red-zone efficiency tells much of the story: Rice is converting touchdowns on just 21% of trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line, a critical gap when margins are already thin. With an expected-wins projection of 2.0, Rice is hovering near the floor of FBS competition. Tulane comes to Houston this weekend as a winnable game in name only—GIE gives the Owls virtually no shot at either a conference title or bowl eligibility.