When the temperature chills and the Christmas season approaches, there will be no trophy on the line. There will be no ESPN flagship network appearance. There will be no neutral site action where fanbases from different conferences converge in an unfamiliar stadium in late December.
After WKU emerged victorious in Houston in a 42-21 result, the Rice Owls were officially eliminated from bowl eligibility with their seventh loss of the year. It’s a feeling all too familiar with the program which hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2014.
“The way we’re recruiting, the players we bring in the building, the ones that we’re playing on the field — that’s really who my heart breaks for right now is our super seniors,” head coach Mike Bloomgren said.