Rivalry leaderboard
Houston-Rice Greatest Games
The series' top 25 meetings, ranked without team allegiance by game-time AP strength, final-score closeness, and overtime.
- Games
- 25
- Top score
- 46/100
- Overtime
- 1
Series context
- Completed meetings
- 47
- Series record
- Houston 35-12 Rice
- Tracked years
- 1971-2025
- Trophy
- Bayou Bucket
Series ranking
The rivalry's top 25 games
6 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.
- 1990Week 6
Rice at Houston
Rice 22, Houston 24
Winner: Houston
Unranked Rice vs. No. 13 Houston · 2-point margin
Ranking 13/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
46
Game score
- 1995Week 15
Houston at Rice
Houston 18, Rice 17
Winner: Houston
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1986Week 14
Rice at Houston
Rice 14, Houston 13
Winner: Rice
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked Houston · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1972Week 1
Houston at Rice
Houston 13, Rice 14
Winner: Rice
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1976Week 13
Houston at Rice
Houston 42, Rice 20
Winner: Houston
No. 6 Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 22-point margin
Ranking 20/50 · Closeness 13/35 · Overtime 0/15
33
Game score
- 1971Week 1
Houston at Rice
Houston 23, Rice 21
Winner: Houston
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 2-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
33
Game score
- 2004Week 2
Houston at Rice
Houston 7, Rice 10
Winner: Rice
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 3-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 2000Week 2
Houston at Rice
Houston 27, Rice 30
Winner: Rice
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 3-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 1985Week 14
Houston at Rice
Houston 24, Rice 20
Winner: Houston
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 4-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
31
Game score
- 1978Week 14
Rice at Houston
Rice 25, Houston 49
Winner: Houston
Unranked Rice vs. No. 9 Houston · 24-point margin
Ranking 17/50 · Closeness 11/35 · Overtime 0/15
28
Game score
- 2001Week 2
Rice at Houston
Rice 21, Houston 14
Winner: Rice
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked Houston · 7-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
28
Game score
- 1982Week 13
Rice at Houston
Rice 21, Houston 28
Winner: Houston
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked Houston · 7-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 28/35 · Overtime 0/15
28
Game score
- 1973Week 3
Rice at Houston
Rice 6, Houston 24
Winner: Houston
Unranked Rice vs. No. 16 Houston · 18-point margin
Ranking 10/50 · Closeness 17/35 · Overtime 0/15
27
Game score
- 1984Week 15
Rice at Houston
Rice 26, Houston 38
Winner: Houston
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked Houston · 12-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 23/35 · Overtime 0/15
23
Game score
- 1974Week 2
Houston at Rice
Houston 21, Rice 0
Winner: Houston
No. 19 Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 21-point margin
Ranking 7/50 · Closeness 14/35 · Overtime 0/15
21
Game score
- 2002Week 2
Houston at Rice
Houston 24, Rice 10
Winner: Houston
Unranked Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 14-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
21
Game score
- 1979Week 14
Houston at Rice
Houston 63, Rice 0
Winner: Houston
No. 8 Houston vs. Unranked Rice · 63-point margin
Ranking 18/50 · Closeness 0/35 · Overtime 0/15
18
Game score
Methodology
How each game earns up to 100 points
AP ranking, 50 points: each team earns 26 minus its game-time AP rank. Unranked teams receive zero.
Closeness, 35 points: the final margin is subtracted from 35, with margins of 35 or more receiving zero.
Overtime, 15 points: overtime starts at nine points and rises by two per additional period, capped at 15.
Regular-season rankings use the AP Top 25 recorded for the game's week. Postseason meetings use the final regular-season AP poll before bowl and playoff results. Games before 2005 remain in the ranking but do not link to unsupported box-score pages. Videos are matched by canonical game ID or by a rematch-safe season matchup.