Rice University wants to join the Pac-12 Conference. At the very least, the Marching Owl Band wants their school to join the Pac-12, or as they call it, the Pac-2.
They made that abundantly clear at the First Responders Bowl on Tuesday evening.
As things currently stands, the Pac-12 has just two teams left. Oregon State and Washington State were the victims of conference realignment as the other 10 teams bounced for the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.
The Cougars and Beavers want to revive the conference and have two years to do so.
Rice’s Marching Owls Band wants in!
The Marching Owl Band, known more commonly as the ‘MOB,’ is an entirely student-run organization. Being different is their shtick.
They are also known for their hilarious hi-jinx and making bold statements.
Rice’s band, which is made up of smart students at a smart school, trolled Texas for promoting the Longhorns football team’s poor GPA a few years back. It was hilarious.
40ish members of Rice’s MOB descended upon Dallas for Tuesday’s college football bowl game. They put their hat in the ring as a possible addition to the Pac-12 while wearing Hawaiian shirts in 40-degree weather.
It might be an uphill battle for the Owls to join the Pac-12, but they have nothing to lose. Who else is the primarily west coast-based conference going to add at this point?!
Rice was blown out by Texas State in the First Responders Bowl, which likely didn’t help the marching band’s case for membership to a better conference. You can’t knock the band for the football team’s performance, and they presented a valiant effort.
The students froze on the field on behalf of their distinguished institution of higher learning. They gave it everything they had and left it all out there for their school.
How can Oregon State and Washington State see the MOB’s performance at the First Responder Bowl and think that Rice is not a fantastic addition? They can’t.
Owls football may not be the best team in the country, but the Pac-12 needs to fill the weird marching band void left by Stanford. Rice and the Marching Owl Band is the way to go.
Their heart is in it. They’re ready to laugh. They know how to play loud and proud even when their team is getting blown out by an in-state school. Rice is ready!