COACH: David Bailiff — At Rice: 23-38, 5 years
OVERALL: 44-53, 8 years
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Reagan
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Chris Thurmond
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 1994, Southwest Conference co-champions
LAST BOWL: 2008, Texas Bowl
RETURNING STARTERS: 11; 5 offense, 5 defense, kicker
PLAYERS TO WATCH: WR Sam McGuffie, QB Taylor McHargue, WR Vance McDonald, LB Cameron Nwosu, CB Bryce Callahan
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: On paper, Rice has plenty of talented weapons. In a league like Conference USA, that type of ability should keep the Owls competitive. Two of the top offensive players — McHargue and McGuffie — are versatile.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The Owls appear to be a bit faster on defense, but that might not be enough to alleviate what ails the team on that side of the ball. Few teams are worse against the pass, and Rice is going to have to prove that’s different this season.