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| First meeting | November 17, 1916 Rice 146, SMU 3 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 4, 2023 SMU 36, Rice 31 |
| Next meeting | TBD |
| Trophy | Mayor's Cup |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 91 |
| All-time series | SMU leads, 49–41–1[1] |
| Trophy series | Rice leads, 9–7 |
| Largest victory | Rice, 146–3 (1916) |
| Longest win streak | SMU, 10 (1977–1986) |
| Current win streak | SMU, 1 (2023–present) |
TheRice–SMU football rivalry is an Americancollege footballrivalry[citation needed] between theRice UniversityOwls andSouthern Methodist UniversityMustangs. The game was first played in 1916, and since 1998 the winner was awarded theMayor's Cup. SMU leads the series 49–41–1.
The football squads ofRice University andSouthern Methodist University, two of the smallest schools inNCAA Division I FBS, first played in 1916, with Rice winning 146–3. In 1918, both schools joined theSouthwest Conference, and from 1926 they played every year except for 1987 and 1988, after the NCAA gave SMU's football program the "death penalty" following acheating scandal. They played in the same conference until 2012, beginning with the Southwest (1918–1995), then theWestern Athletic Conference (1996–2005) andConference USA (2005–2012). The two teams have met 91 times, with SMU leading 49–41–1.[1]
In 1998 atraveling trophy, the "Mayor's Cup", was introduced to the series, and has been awarded to the winner each year. SMU currently holds the trophy after the 2023 game, but Rice leads the trophy series 9–7. However, SMU and Rice did not play each other from 2013-2022 as SMU left Conference USA for theAmerican Athletic Conference for the 2013 season. On June 15, 2022, Rice announced they would be officially joining the American for the 2023 season, renewing the series.[2] On November 9, 2022, the American announced the football scheduling model for the 2023–26 seasons, with Rice–SMU scheduled to meet in 2023, 2024, and 2026.[3]
However, on September 1, 2023, SMU accepted an invitation to join theAtlantic Coast Conference starting in 2024, which once again puts the future of the Mayor's Cup in doubt.
| Rice victories | SMU victories | Tie games |
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