Curious y'alls thoughts on why Vanderbilt has been able to find real stretches of football success while Rice hasn't, even though both are elite academic schools with similar built-in challenges? Vanderbilt has put together bowl seasons and competitive runs (especially this year), while Rice only flashes here and there before fading. Is it strictly the SEC effect, or does Vandy simply invest more, recruit better, and prioritize football in a way Rice doesn't?

Both sit in major recruiting hotbeds, both have high academic standards, yet only one consistently capitalizes. Is Rice's culture too academic to push football forward, or is Vanderbilt's conference pressure and visibility the difference? Curious why two schools that look similar on paper have ended up on completely different football trajectories.

Players wants to play in elite conferences. Not like Southland Conference USA and Sunbelt and while players can shine at those levels the mass of 4 or 5 stars wouldn't want that

rice should be significantly better than they are and with the right coach they could see vast improvement. that said vandy in sec makes them really not that similar other than being private schools that are small.

barnag said:

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Curious y'alls thoughts on why Vanderbilt has been able to find real stretches of football success while Rice hasn't, even though both are elite academic schools with similar built-in challenges? Vanderbilt has put together bowl seasons and competitive runs (especially this year), while Rice only flashes here and there before fading. Is it strictly the SEC effect, or does Vandy simply invest more, recruit better, and prioritize football in a way Rice doesn't?

Both sit in major recruiting hotbeds, both have high academic standards, yet only one consistently capitalizes. Is Rice's culture too academic to push football forward, or is Vanderbilt's conference pressure and visibility the difference? Curious why two schools that look similar on paper have ended up on completely different football trajectories.

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Consistently capitalizes?

Vandy has sucked for generations. They currently have a 0 star QB, who turned out to be a stud. That makes for a good couple of seasons.

We will see how long it lasts with him gone.

Rice is not in a power conference, and seems to just not really care about football.

I don't even know who Rice's current coach is. I do know he's not on the same level as Clark Lea. Dude can f'n coach.

I think if I were a football recruit that believed in my chances to one day make it to the NFL and all of the bigger names passed on me, Vandy would be a good option. You get to play all of these teams loaded with NFL prospects and if you shine against them you punch your ticket to the NFL.

If you are that same kid and go to Rice even when you dominate they will say it is because of weak competition.

Does Rice have any significant level of big $ donors or a donor base that really cares about football ?

Rice is in an awful part of Houston and Nashville is simply a better city overall. Academically, the same types of students attend both schools but Vandy has done a much better job of appealing to the natives versus the International draw for Rice.

Historically Rice has been better than Vandy hands down.

The key is that Vandy is a legacy SEC school. If the SEC had broken up like the SWC, Vandy would be in the sunbelt or some other crap conference and you would never hear from them again.

BMX Bandit said:

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SEC money

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eot

Vandy definitely has gotten better as a program and mysteriously got that 5 star last week, but you have to give a TON of credit to Diego. Let's see what they do the next couple years

I learned last week that the Ginger Man was demolished last year. I didn't realize that Rice owned it. I *loved* that place. B@$TARDS!!

halfastros81 said:

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I'm going to take a little issue with Rice being in an awful part of Houston. It's not . It's maybe within a mile or 2 of sone awful parts of Houston but where isn't?

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Fair enough. There is no good part of Houston.

That's not true either . As far as living there it's not my choice and clearly not your's either . No big city would be my choice but there are a lot of people that live a high quality of life in Houston and thereabouts .

BrotherChad2 said:

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Ruck Fice!

They do nothing for Houston.

They do nothing for the state of Texas.

Rice admits majority out of staters and foreign students while ignoring Houston and Texas students!

Y'all make fun of "Cougar High" but UH does a great job of investing in the people of Houston and state of Texas and the local community. Rice does not.

So do not care that they're not good at football! Boo hoo!!

Ruck em!

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UH? Can't even fill the small stadium for big football games. Rice and UH suffer from same problem - kittle/no alumni support. At least the student body has gotten into basketball.

Brother, what is this "investing" by UH you speak of?

cevans_40 said:

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Rice is in an awful part of Houston and Nashville is simply a better city overall. Academically, the same types of students attend both schools but Vandy has done a much better job of appealing to the natives versus the International draw for Rice.

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The village and the medical center are awful parts of Houston?

Vanderbilt has SEC money but there was a recent article on how the early years of Clark Lea were bad enough to where they made a similar decision that Texas Tech did…we need to spend NIL money or become a farm for the bigger programs so they committed to spending NIL money and he brought in the package deal of Diego Pavia and Diego's OC, not too dissimilar to OU with Mateer and the Wash State OC.

I know they just signed a 5 Star QB but next year will be telling because if they drop back to 7 wins after Diego leaves, then how quickly can they get back to 9 wins, which they accomplished when James Franklin was there.

Rice on the other hand is fine with being a farm for the bigger programs.

Recency bias (this season's record) seems to be infecting the OP. Vandy is historically not a good program. They have had a good season this year, but I would tap the brakes a bit on Vandy being world beaters.

He means Tillman Fertitta gives UH a lot of money.

This is the first time Vandy has been good at football in forever.
They've both had great baseball teams and nat'l championships.
Do either even have a basketball team?
Nashville >>>>>> Houston (and I live in Houston)
I assume Vandy is a much bigger school? Rice campus is nice. I bet Vandy's is nicer.
Vandy will go back to being Vandy, just like Indiana will revert to being Indiana.

Vandy got an old school SEC schedule for 2026

Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee

no former Big 12 teams