Ranking the Toughest College Football Schedules in 2026
Ranking the toughest schedules in Texas college football, from the SEC gauntlet awaiting Texas to the cross-country grind facing the G6 programs.
Rice fielded its first team in 1914 and were John Heisman's final coaching job in the late 1920s. The Owls became Houston's premier college program in the 1940s and 50s under head coach Jess Neely in the Southwest Conference amassing three Cotton Bowl wins and four SWC championships. The Owls went 18 years without an All-American before quarterback Tommy Kramer in 1976 and another 15 years before Trevor Cobb's breakout season in 1991. Ken Hatfield broke a near 40-year conference title drought in 1994 and David Bailiff helped build the program back to respectability in 2007. Today, Mike Bloomgren has brought in the #IntellectualBrutality motto from Stanford and has built a rising power.

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| Name | Title |
| Mike Bloomgren | Head Coach |
| Peter Alamar | Associate Head Coach and Special Teams |
| Marques Tuiasosopo | Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks |
| Brian Smith | Defensive Coordinator and Safeties |
| John Settle | Running Backs |
| Cedric Calhoun | Defensive Line |
| Sanders Davis | Offensive Line |
| Jon Kay | Linebackers |
| Bobby Kennedy | Wide Receivers |
| Jeremy Modkins | Cornerbacks |
| Lucas Reed | Tight Ends |
| Dan Gritti | Senior Offensive Assistant, Analytics Coordinator, Special Advisor to the Head Coach |
Coming soon.
Ranking the toughest schedules in Texas college football, from the SEC gauntlet awaiting Texas to the cross-country grind facing the G6 programs.
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