Can JT Daniels lead Rice Football to a winning record?

How many games will Rice Football win this fall?

Sept 2 at Texas L: The Longhorns are favored to win the Big 12. Texas wins big at home.

Sept 9 Houston W: Rice hasn’t won this game in 14 years, and they are the more experienced team. The Owls pull the upset and win the Bayou Bucket at home.

Sept 16 Texas Southern W: Rice should not have an issue with an FCS team here.

Sept 23 at USF W: Alex Golesh takes over for the Bulls. The roster is a mess. Owls win going away.

Sept 30 East Carolina W: Have the Pirates settled on a starting quarterback? Rice has—owls in a close home win.

Oct 7 UConn L: Jim Mora has the Hiuskies headed in the right direction. UConn wins a close game.

Oct 19 at Tulsa W: Ken Wilson takes over at Tulsa. It’s hard to trust that rush defense against a team that likes to run the football. Rice gets the win.

Oct 28 Tulane L: The Green Wave are contenders in the AAC. Tulane wins, going away.

Nov 4 SMU L: The Mustangs better be careful. The defense was not very good, and Rice’s offense should be improved. This could be a 50-50 game for the Owls.

Nov 11 at UTSA L: Frank Harris is the quarterback, so the edge goes to the Roadrunners.

Nov 18 at Charlotte W: Biff Poggi might be the most exciting coach in college football. However, the 49ers have one of the worst defenses in college football. Owls win on the road.

Nov 25 Florida Atlantic W: This one is interesting. Rice wins the annual “Owl Bowl” in a close game.

Prediction: 6-6, 5-4 AAC

All of this hinges on JT Daniels’ health. If he can’t stay healthy, the Owls are a three or four-win team. They are joining a new conference, but so are most of the other teams, so that should not be as difficult a transition as usual.