Last year, the first season under head coach Scott Abell, Rice got off to a good start, winning three of its first four games. But after that, the Owls lost four of their next five games and eventually finished 5-8.
Rice did earn a bowl bid, losing to Texas State 41-10 in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Now with highly-touted transfer quarterback Jacurri Brown, Rice will look to snap its streak of 11 consecutive non-winning seasons, but it won’t be easy.
Rice Season Preview
With so many players lost from last year, Rice’s success will depend largely on newcomers.
Key Players To Replace
Quarterback Chase Jenkins set a school record by completing 69.2% of his passes and became the first Rice quarterback to start all 12 regular season games since 2016. He passed for 1,025 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 531 yards and five scores. After the season, he transferred to Kansas.
The Owls must replace their leading receiver, graduate Aaron Turner, who had a team-high 63 receptions for 398 yards and four touchdowns.
Among the key defenders to replace is linebacker Andrew Awe, Rice’s 2025 leading tackler with 105. A former walk-on, Awe contributed 200 tackles during his four seasons at Rice.
Jacurri Brown Looking To Take Over At Quarterback
Jacurri Brown is expected to take over at quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound redshirt senior began his career at Miami and played the past two seasons at UCF.
Last year, Brown attempted just five passes. In 21 career games at Miami and UCF, he has thrown for 906 yards and six touchdowns and run for 137 yards and eight scores.
Rice’s Returning Veterans
The offensive catalyst is senior running back Quinton Jackson, a third-team All-American Conference selection. Jackson rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns.
The Owls could take more advantage of his skill set as a receiver. Last season, he had just four receptions for 74 yards and a score.
The offensive line is led by tackle Luke Miller, who started all 13 games and led the offense with 828 snaps. Redshirt junior guard Patrick Valent appeared in all 13 games in 2025 with 11 starts.
Among the leaders on what should be a revamped defense is redshirt junior defensive end Joseph Mutombo, who was second on the team with four quarterback hits and fifth with 12 total pressures.
Redshirt senior EDGE Chibby Nwajuaku appeared in 12 games, making two starts and recording 28 tackles, including three tackles for loss, and was second on the team with 17 total pressures.
Senior nose tackle Dillan Botts appeared in 13 games, making 10 starts, and was second among Rice’s interior linemen with six hurries.
Key Newcomers
Besides Brown at quarterback, true freshman running back Dionne Sims rushed for 1,961 yards and 27 touchdowns as a high school senior and brings an explosive dimension to the ground game.
Graduate linebacker Jesus Machado Jr. is expected to be among the defensive leaders. He’s a transfer from Houston who began his career in the American Conference at Tulane. He has played in 49 career games with 158 career tackles.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jamir Benjamin is a transfer from UCLA. Last season, he appeared in 12 games with 67 snaps on defense and 138 special teams plays. Two other key newcomer corners are redshirt senior Tariq Watson, who started seven games last season for UAB, and redshirt sophomore Kyren Condoll, a transfer from Duke.
Five-star kicker/punter Tommy Bauchiero is among Rice’s best incoming freshmen.
Rice’s 2026 Schedule
- 9/5 vs. Houston Christian
- 9/12 at Notre Dame
- 9/19 vs. Western Michigan
- 9/26 at Fresno State
- 10/3 vs. UTSA
- 10/10 at East Carolina
- 10/17 vs. Tulsa
- 10/24 at FAU
- 11/7 at North Texas
- 11/14 vs. Tulane
- 11/19 at Temple
- 11/28 vs. Army
Bold indicates American contests
Rice’s American Conference Title Betting Odds
Rice’s college football betting odds to win the conference are +15000 via BetMGM. The Owls are 12th in the 14-team American Conference.
Rice’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Rice’s win total Over/Under is 3.5.
- The Under is at -115.
- The Over is at -115.
Rice Season Prediction
I predict that Rice will go Under 3.5 wins.
The non-league schedule is difficult with the exception of Houston Christian, and every American Conference game is against a team that has better odds to win the conference, according to BetMGM.
So much depends on Brown adapting to the offense and being able to show his dual-threat ability. The defense will need time to adapt with so many new starters.
The good news for Rice is that many of the American Conference teams are in the same predicament of having to replace a large number of their starters. There appears to be more balance in the American, but Rice will have to show that it can compete more favorably against conference teams after going 2-6 in league play a year ago.
