Photo by: Maria Lysaker | Rice Athletics
Bayou Bucket Kicks Off Home Season at 6 p.m. on September 9.
6/8/2023 12:09:00 PM | Football
42nd Bayou Bucket Classic presented by H-E-B
Rice and Houston will renew their football rivalry at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 9 when they face off in the 42nd Bayou Bucket Classic presented by H-E-B. 
The game date and time were confirmed by The American Athletic Conference on Thursday as the league completed the scheduling for the first three weeks of the 2023 season. Broadcast assignments for the game will be released in the near future.
The Bayou Bucket battle will be the first of seven home games for Rice this season, the most home contests since 1990, and the first home game as members of The American Athletic Conference.
This year's game will take place 51 years to the day when Rice defeated Houston 14-13 in the second-ever meeting between the schools. Houston had won the initial meeting 23-21 at Rice Stadium on September 11, 1971. A goal-line stand by Rice in the game's final moments secured the win for the Owls.
Two years later the schools first met to decide the winner of the Bayou Bucket, which was created by the Touchdown Club of Houston.
This year's game will be the first when both schools are in the first year of membership in a new conference as Rice begins play in The American and Houston in the Big XII. The first five meetings of the series were nonconference contests before Houston began playing football in the Southwest Conference in 1976. The schools met annually as part of the SWC schedule through 1995 and played the last conference game on December 2, 1995. They met again as non-conference foes from 1999-2004 before Rice joined Houston in Conference USA. They met eight consecutive years as C-USA opponents and have met the last five times as nonconference opponents since 2013.
Game times for the Owls' first three games have now been confirmed, with Rice opening the season at 2:30 on September 2 at Texas and followed by 6 p.m. home games vs. Houston and Texas Southern (September 16). Game time assignments for the final nine regular season games will be released on a weekly basis through the season by The American as part of the conference's 12-day selection process.
Season ticket packages start at $99 per seat, providing fans with the best value for their money and a family-friendly viewing experience at college football's highest level. As the demand is high and the availability of reserved chairback seating is limited, those interested in purchasing season tickets should secure their seats now by visiting RiceOwls.com/23FBTix or calling (713) 348-OWLS (6957).
The game date and time were confirmed by The American Athletic Conference on Thursday as the league completed the scheduling for the first three weeks of the 2023 season. Broadcast assignments for the game will be released in the near future.
The Bayou Bucket battle will be the first of seven home games for Rice this season, the most home contests since 1990, and the first home game as members of The American Athletic Conference.
This year's game will take place 51 years to the day when Rice defeated Houston 14-13 in the second-ever meeting between the schools. Houston had won the initial meeting 23-21 at Rice Stadium on September 11, 1971. A goal-line stand by Rice in the game's final moments secured the win for the Owls.
Two years later the schools first met to decide the winner of the Bayou Bucket, which was created by the Touchdown Club of Houston.
This year's game will be the first when both schools are in the first year of membership in a new conference as Rice begins play in The American and Houston in the Big XII. The first five meetings of the series were nonconference contests before Houston began playing football in the Southwest Conference in 1976. The schools met annually as part of the SWC schedule through 1995 and played the last conference game on December 2, 1995. They met again as non-conference foes from 1999-2004 before Rice joined Houston in Conference USA. They met eight consecutive years as C-USA opponents and have met the last five times as nonconference opponents since 2013.
Game times for the Owls' first three games have now been confirmed, with Rice opening the season at 2:30 on September 2 at Texas and followed by 6 p.m. home games vs. Houston and Texas Southern (September 16). Game time assignments for the final nine regular season games will be released on a weekly basis through the season by The American as part of the conference's 12-day selection process.
Season ticket packages start at $99 per seat, providing fans with the best value for their money and a family-friendly viewing experience at college football's highest level. As the demand is high and the availability of reserved chairback seating is limited, those interested in purchasing season tickets should secure their seats now by visiting RiceOwls.com/23FBTix or calling (713) 348-OWLS (6957).
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