Rivalry leaderboard
Rice-SMU 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
- 54/100
- Overtime
- 0
Series context
- Completed meetings
- 91
- Series record
- Rice 41-49-1 SMU
- Tracked years
- 1916-2023
- Trophy
- Mayor's Cup
Series ranking
The rivalry's top 25 games
11 of these games include at least one AP-ranked team at kickoff. Open a supported game for its box score and statistics.
- 1949Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 41, SMU 27
Winner: Rice
No. 7 Rice vs. No. 12 SMU · 14-point margin
Ranking 33/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
54
Game score
- 1947Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 0, SMU 14
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. No. 4 SMU · 14-point margin
Ranking 22/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
43
Game score
- 1953Week 5
Rice at SMU
Rice 7, SMU 12
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. No. 13 SMU · 5-point margin
Ranking 13/50 · Closeness 30/35 · Overtime 0/15
43
Game score
- 1957Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 27, SMU 21
Winner: Rice
No. 13 Rice vs. Unranked SMU · 6-point margin
Ranking 13/50 · Closeness 29/35 · Overtime 0/15
42
Game score
- 1983Week 11
Rice at SMU
Rice 6, SMU 20
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. No. 7 SMU · 14-point margin
Ranking 19/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
40
Game score
- 1950Week 6
SMU at Rice
SMU 42, Rice 21
Winner: SMU
No. 1 SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 21-point margin
Ranking 25/50 · Closeness 14/35 · Overtime 0/15
39
Game score
- 1959Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 13, SMU 13
Result: Tie
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked SMU · 0-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 35/35 · Overtime 0/15
35
Game score
- 1964Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 7, SMU 6
Winner: Rice
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked SMU · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1956Week 6
SMU at Rice
SMU 14, Rice 13
Winner: SMU
Unranked SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1940Week 13
SMU at Rice
SMU 7, Rice 6
Winner: SMU
Unranked SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 1-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 34/35 · Overtime 0/15
34
Game score
- 1946Week 6
SMU at Rice
SMU 7, Rice 21
Winner: Rice
Unranked SMU vs. No. 14 Rice · 14-point margin
Ranking 12/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
33
Game score
- 1990Week 12
SMU at Rice
SMU 28, Rice 30
Winner: Rice
Unranked SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 2-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 33/35 · Overtime 0/15
33
Game score
- 1982Week 10
SMU at Rice
SMU 41, Rice 14
Winner: SMU
No. 2 SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 27-point margin
Ranking 24/50 · Closeness 8/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 1954Week 5
SMU at Rice
SMU 20, Rice 6
Winner: SMU
Unranked SMU vs. No. 15 Rice · 14-point margin
Ranking 11/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 1965Week 6
SMU at Rice
SMU 17, Rice 14
Winner: SMU
Unranked SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 3-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 1945Week 7
Rice at SMU
Rice 18, SMU 21
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked SMU · 3-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 32/35 · Overtime 0/15
32
Game score
- 1984Week 12
SMU at Rice
SMU 31, Rice 17
Winner: SMU
No. 16 SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 14-point margin
Ranking 10/50 · Closeness 21/35 · Overtime 0/15
31
Game score
- 1967Week 7
SMU at Rice
SMU 10, Rice 14
Winner: Rice
Unranked SMU vs. Unranked Rice · 4-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
31
Game score
- 1966Week 6
Rice at SMU
Rice 24, SMU 28
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. Unranked SMU · 4-point margin
Ranking 0/50 · Closeness 31/35 · Overtime 0/15
31
Game score
- 1981Week 10
Rice at SMU
Rice 12, SMU 33
Winner: SMU
Unranked Rice vs. No. 10 SMU · 21-point margin
Ranking 16/50 · Closeness 14/35 · Overtime 0/15
30
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.