What is a Rice Bowl?
A Rice Bowl is a college football postseason game usually held on or near New Year’s Day. It features teams from the same geographic region— or “conference” — in a single-elimination promotion. The winner of the Rice Bowl is said to be the champion of its particular geographic region.
How is Rice in a Bowl Game?
Rice teams participating in a Rice Bowl typically face some of the toughest competition in the nation. Depending on the conference, teams may come from schools of different sizes, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to large universities. Rice teams in these bowl contests must play an especially competitive style of football in order to compete.
Rice bowls often feature exciting and passionate rivalries between two teams from the same conference that are sure to deliver an intense game. At the same time, the game tends to be cleaner and more strategic because the teams involved had a lot of familiarity with one another throughout the regular season.
Teams in a Rice Bowl must make sure that they take advantage of any opportunities they have against the opposition. Oftentimes, the winner of the Rice Bowl is the team that was able to capitalize on a few key plays during the game.
Additional Benefits of Playing in a Rice Bowl
In addition to the chance to be crowned the champion of the region, teams in a Rice Bowl have another very important incentive to perform well: notoriety and exposure. Rice bowls are sponsored by television networks and the coverage they bring can lead to increased was well such as recruitment opportunities, increased sponsorships and greater fan support.
Playing well in a Rice Bowl can lead to higher rankings for the teams involved and greater recognition for the players on the roster. This in turn can lead to more offers from professional teams and higher salaries once the players enter the NFL Draft.
Conclusion
Rice Bowls offer great opportunities for teams from the same conference to compete against one another. By taking advantage of opportunities that come their way, Rice Bowl teams can find success and reap great rewards for their efforts.
