Houston vs RiceBayou Bucket
A dented antique brass bucket Houston and Rice have played for since 1974.
Updated · BettorEdge
Houston and Rice are not on each other's schedule right now. The trophy stays with Houston until they meet again. The schools canceled their 2026 and 2027 games, and the series is paused until at least 2030.
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Start a pick'em contestHow the Bayou Bucket came to be
Houston and Rice first met on the football field in 1971, the year Houston joined Rice in the Southwest Conference, but the game had no trophy for its first three seasons.
Fred Curry, a former Rice lineman under coach Jess Neely who was leading the Touchdown Club of Houston, wanted an object that would give the crosstown series more of an identity, and past club president Phil Gemmer pointed to Indiana and Purdue's Old Oaken Bucket as the model.
With the blessing of head coaches Bill Yeoman of Houston and Al Conover of Rice, the club's board met at Curry's home and tossed around dozens of names until board member Del Womack asked what Houston was known for; the answer, its muddy bayous, produced the name Bayou Bucket.
In the summer of 1974 Curry found a battered brass bucket in an antique shop in New Braunfels, Texas, and handed it to Buck Sloan, a friend and fellow former Rice player who ran a Houston trophy shop and built the ornate base around it.
The finished trophy was first presented that fall, when Houston beat Rice 21-0 at Rice Stadium on Sept. 14, 1974.
The trophy itself. A dented antique brass bucket mounted on an ornate wooden base, standing roughly 2.5 to 3 feet tall, with football-player figurines on it and the scores of past meetings engraved on its sides.
Bayou Bucket history
- 1971
First official meeting: Houston beats Rice 23-21 at Rice Stadium on Sept. 11, Houston's first season in the Southwest Conference.
- 1974
The Touchdown Club of Houston introduces the Bayou Bucket; Houston wins the first trophy game 21-0 at Rice Stadium on Sept. 14.
- 1995
Houston wins 18-17 on Dec. 2 at Rice Stadium in the final season of the Southwest Conference; the teams then go three years (1996-98) without playing.
- 1999
The series resumes as a non-conference game, with Houston winning 28-3 at Robertson Stadium.
- 2020
The scheduled game is canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2023
Rice rallies past Houston 43-41 in double overtime on Sept. 9 for its first series win since 2010, snapping a seven-game Houston winning streak.
- 2024
Houston reclaims the bucket with a 33-7 win at TDECU Stadium on Sept. 14; that August the schools cancel their scheduled 2026 and 2027 games.
- 2025
Houston wins 35-9 at Rice Stadium on Sept. 6 in the last currently scheduled game of the series; the rivalry goes on hiatus with 2030 the earliest possible return.
Recent results
| Season | Result | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Houston Cougars 35, Rice Owls 9 | Rice Stadium |
| 2024 | Houston Cougars 33, Rice Owls 7 | TDECU Stadium |
| 2023 | Rice Owls 43, Houston Cougars 41 | Rice Stadium |
| 2022 | Houston Cougars 34, Rice Owls 27 | TDECU Stadium |
| 2021 | Houston Cougars 44, Rice Owls 7 | Rice Stadium |
Bayou Bucket facts worth knowing
The trophy was inspired by the Old Oaken Bucket that Indiana and Purdue play for.
The name came from a Touchdown Club board meeting: asked what Houston was known for, the answer was its dirty bayous.
The bucket was bought at an antique shop in New Braunfels, Texas, in the summer of 1974.
Running back Dean Connors won the Bayou Bucket with Rice in 2023, transferred to Houston, and ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 35-9 win in 2025, making him the first player to win it on both sides.
Houston's longest winning streak in the series is seven straight games, from 2011 to 2022.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Bayou Bucket?+
The Bayou Bucket is the trophy Houston and Rice play for in college football, first awarded in 1974. A dented antique brass bucket mounted on an ornate wooden base, standing roughly 2.5 to 3 feet tall, with football-player figurines on it and the scores of past meetings engraved on its sides.
How did the Bayou Bucket come to be?+
Houston and Rice first met on the football field in 1971, the year Houston joined Rice in the Southwest Conference, but the game had no trophy for its first three seasons.
Who has the Bayou Bucket right now?+
Houston holds the Bayou Bucket after winning the 2025 game, Houston 35, Rice 9. The live block on this page updates as soon as the next meeting is played.
Who leads the Houston-Rice series?+
Houston leads the all-time series 35-12 as of the end of the 2025 season. In games played for the Bayou Bucket since 1974, Houston leads 33-11.
When is the next Bayou Bucket game?+
No Houston-Rice game is on ESPN's schedule right now. Conference schedules rotate, so check back as the next season's slate is released.
Where can I bet on the Bayou Bucket game?+
You can bet Houston vs Rice on BettorEdge, a peer-to-peer marketplace where you trade with other bettors rather than a sportsbook, so the price carries no built-in house vig. You can also run a free pick'em contest for the game with your group.
More college football
Records and the current holder are as of the end of the 2025 season; the next-game block and recent results update from ESPN.Sources: en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, riceowls.com, riceowls.com.
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