Western Michigan enters Houston still wearing the MAC championship belt, and Rice is about to find out how far Scott Abell's rebuild has actually come.
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Best BetWestern Michigan
Western Michigan is the proven commodity here — reigning MAC champs with a title-winning quarterback and a veteran offensive line, while Rice is still finding its footing on defense after last year's red-zone disaster. Back the Broncos on the moneyline unless the number gets uncomfortably steep for a road trip this deep into a brutal nonconference stretch. Rice's two signature upsets last year prove it's capable of one big night, but that's not the same as a reliable floor.
Western Michigan
+Won 2025 MAC title at 9-4, first since 2016
+Returning QB Broc Lowry, reigning MAC Offensive POY
+Veteran O-line, RB Jalen Buckley back after 1,000-yard year
−Lost DC to Chargers, must replace entire pass-rush front
−Passing game inconsistent when yards-per-attempt dips
−3rd game of a brutal 4-game nonconference gauntlet
Rice
+Abell's debut year beat Louisiana and UConn
+RB Quinton Jackson back, chasing first 1,000-yard season
+Coordinators return for continuity in year 2
−Defense allowed a TD on 100% of red-zone trips in 2025
−Must replace 4 players who had 2.5+ sacks
−National preseason win total set at just 3.5
Western Michigan is walking into this one with the MAC title still fresh, but this nonconference slate isn't messing around. The Broncos followed a trip to Michigan with a tune-up against Monmouth, and now they're in Houston for game 3 of a gauntlet that closes with Boise State the following week. Reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year Broc Lowry is back for it, the quarterback behind Kalamazoo's first title-and-bowl combo season in program history. Rice, meanwhile, is expected to hand the offense to UCF transfer Jacurri Brown, hand-picked by Abell to run his option-heavy attack, though nothing there is locked in yet.
Abell's first year in Houston wasn't supposed to produce statement wins, and then Rice knocked off Louisiana and UConn anyway. The problem showed up once teams crossed the 20 — Rice's defense allowed a touchdown on every single red-zone trip it faced in 2025, the only unit in the country that could say that. Running back Quinton Jackson gives the offense a real weapon after a career year, but this defense has to prove last season's collapse near the goal line was a one-year problem and not a systemic one.
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Western Michigan isn't walking in unscathed either. Defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary left for the Chargers, and the Broncos have to replace basically their entire pass-rushing identity — a group that racked up 43 sacks a year ago, tied for fourth-most in the country. Greer Martini inherits that unit, and how quickly it gels matters more against a rebuilding Rice offense than it will later against tougher competition.
Western Michigan Broncos
Sep 12?vs Monmouth—
Sep 5?@ Michigan—
Rice Owls
Sep 12?@ Notre Dame—
Sep 5?vs Houston Christian—
Recent form.
The tape from 2025 says this should lean heavily toward Kalamazoo. Jalen Buckley is back after topping 1,000 yards and nearly 6 yards a carry, running behind an offensive line that returns 3 starters, including right tackle Chad Schuster. That's the kind of trench advantage that travels well, especially against a defense still figuring out how to finish drives.
Western Michigan Broncos
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Rice Owls
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Rice's counter is its identity under Abell: an option-based ground game that gets Jackson into space and dares defenses to fit the run without cheating on the perimeter. If the Owls can control the clock the way they did in those upset wins, this stays a game. If not, Western Michigan has the horses to make it look exactly like what the record book will eventually say — a MAC contender running through a Group of Five schedule.
