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The Rice Owls football program has its biggest game of the year on Saturday when it plays host to in-state rival and College Football Playoff hopeful North Texas. But a dangerous student beer promotion run by the university could turn a potential historic day into a disaster.
The Owls enter the game at 5-5, one win away from bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, the Mean Green sit at 9-1 under third-year head coach Eric Morris and could well qualify for the playoffs if it wins the American Athletic Conference championships.
Despite the high stakes, it appears that Rice is having trouble convincing students to show up to the game. So the Owls athletic department devised a plan.
Rice University Students Drink Free For Game Against North Texas
The Rice athletic department took to X on Friday to announce a new promotion for Saturday’s game: Students drink free. All 21-and-over students will receive free beer with the presentation of a student ID.
STUDENTS DRINK FREE ON SATURDAY 🍻
Get tickets ➡️ https://t.co/NfwWWwXdkH#GoOwls👐 pic.twitter.com/uSc9j6otKu
— Rice Athletics 👐 (@RiceAthletics) November 20, 2025
Notably, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of fine print. Nothing in the post or the link says anything about a limit to the amount of free beer. So, in theory, a student could just drink as much as they wanted to before they get cut off.
On one hand, that sounds incredible. On the other, it sounds like an insane liability for Rice. Not only do they have to worry about over-serving students who will, as college students do, push the promotion to its limits, but they also have to worry about what happens if the game goes south.
North Texas enters as an 18.5-point favorite. If the Mean Green take an early lead to run away with it, do you really want a bunch of absolutely hammered students in the stadium?
Who knows? Maybe the promotion goes off without a hitch, everyone has a great time, and the Owls walk out with a historic victory.
But the potential for disaster with this one seems wildly high.