Rice President: AAC allows the university 'to take the next steps in achieving our high aspirations for Rice Athletics'

Rice University Athletics announced on July 1 that it has joined the American Athletic Conference, which marks the university’s department from Conference USA where they have been since 2005. Rice is among six educational institutions that have chosen to transition from C-USA to The American, with the others being the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Florida Atlantic University, University of North Texas, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“Being part of the AAC will build on our strengths and enable us to take the next steps in achieving our high aspirations for Rice Athletics, a cornerstone of the student and alumni experiences at Rice,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said in the July 1 press release by the university.

The addition of the six additional schools puts the AAC at a total of 14 teams, according to the release. They will join East Carolina University (ECU), the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Temple University, Tulane University, the University of Tulsa, the University of South Florida (USF) and Wichita State University, which is a full member, except for football. The U.S. Naval Academy participates solely as a football member.

Rice University has created a new campaign called “Ascend Together” that has a goal to reach new heights in the conference.

“It is an exciting time for Rice Athletics, and we invite you to be a part of this journey,” David Pillen, Rice’s associate athletic director of external relations, said. “Together, we can accomplish extraordinary things. Your support will not only help us forge a path to immediate competitiveness in the AAC, but also equip and empower our student-athletes to excel academically and make a positive impact in our community.”

According to ABC 13, the Owls head football coach Mike Bloomgren said, "It's a step up in competition, and in the commitment to athletics the conference requires you to make. I don't know if it's a jump back to the Southwest Conference days, but it's certainly a step forward from where this program has been."

Rice will open their 2023 season on Sept. 2 against Texas on the road, and play their first AAC game on Sept. 23 against USF.