Rice football, the widespread perception goes, is pretty sorry.
That program hasn’t produced a first-round NFL Draft pick since Earl Cooper in 1980. Arkansas, by comparison, has produced 13 first rounders since then and has a potential two more on this current team in Treylon Burks and Jalen Catalon.
Nowadays, as a Conference USA team, Rice shouldn’t be able to walk into the home stadium of an SEC team not coached by Chad Morris and beat them. That’s why the Owls are nearly 20 point underdogs in Saturday afternoon’s Rice vs Arkansas season opener.