Despite finishing the season with a 5-7 record and initially failing to secure bowl eligibility, Rice will extend its season as a replacement team after Kansas State University opted out of a bowl game.

College football teams typically need six wins to make a bowl game, but 5-7 Rice is being rewarded for its exceptional Academic Progress Rate.

Texas State football will be headed to Fort Worth to face Rice in the Armed Forces Bowl.

The Owls and Bobcats will play in the 2025 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, TX on Friday, Jan. 2. This is the second meeting between the programs in history. Just two years prior at the First Responder Bowl in Dallas, Texas State defeated Rice 45-21 for the Bobcats’ first-ever bowl win.

In a matter of hours Sunday, what had appeared to be a year no teams with losing records would be needed to fill out the bowl schedule suddenly changed when Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State announced they would decline bids despite being eligible.

Texas State football will face Rice Jan. 2 at 12 p.m. CT in the Armed Forces Bowl, a source told the American-Statesman.

Preview the Jan. 2 Armed Forces Bowl matchup between Texas State and Rice, including betting odds, trends, and game information.