It’s that time of the week where we look at Northwestern’s upcoming opponent. This week’s edition features Rice University. Much like Northwestern, it is a school that values academics above athletics. Before these nerds put on their pads, let’s take a look at our opponent from a perspective away from the field.

School Name

Northwestern University
Rice University
ADVANTAGE: Rice
Though Rice is actually named after Massachusetts businessman William Marsh Rice, its name can also be associated with the cereal grain that serves as the staple food for most of the world’s population. Northwestern, on the other hand, is named after a now nonexistent territory. The edge goes to the more appetizing name.

Mascot

Northwestern: Willie the Wildcat
Rice: Sammy the Owl
ADVANTAGE: Northwestern
Nocturnal animals usually take the cake, but this is an exception. The wildcat can adapt to a variety of habitats and preys on a number of animals, including birds. Willie wouldn’t mind staying up late if Sammy was for dinner.

Location

Northwestern: Evanston, Illinois
Rice: Houston, Texas
ADVANTAGE: Rice
Evanston is a nice little suburb with a great location on Lake Michigan, but it’s no Houston. As the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other American metropolitan area (exceptions: New York and Chicago). Evanston is home to old people who don’t understand why the kids living there nine months out of the year don’t get any older.

Endowment

Northwestern: $5.8 billion
Rice: $3.6 billion
ADVANTAGE: Push
You’re probably confused. Even if you aren’t in McCormick, you know that 5.8 is bigger than 3.6. However, the aforementioned William Marsh Rice left his entire estate to the educational institution he founded. As a result, the school covered tuition until the fund ran out. Northwestern has never been and will never be free, unfortunately.

U.S. News and World Report Rankings

Northwestern: 12
Rice: 17
ADVANTAGE: Northwestern
This is actually the second time this year that NU will play a team ranked 17^th by the U.S. News and World Report. Vanderbilt and Rice are tied, but the important thing is that both are behind Northwestern. Try as they might, those Owls aren’t quite as nerdy as us.

Alumni currently employed by the Yankees

Northwestern: Joe Girardi
Rice: Lance Berkman
ADVANTAGE: Northwestern
Okay, so maybe this category wasn’t fair. Rice has one of the nation’s best baseball programs, having been to the College World Series seven times since 1995, including a championship in 2003. Eight former Owls are in the MLB, including Yankees’ first baseman Lance Berkman. He has been awful since his trade to New York, hitting just .306 with no home runs in 27 games. Joe Girardi, on the other hand, led the Yankees to their 27^th World Series in just his second season as manger. If they don’t win it all again, it’ll probably be Berkman’s fault.

Football Stadium

Northwestern: Ryan Field
Rice: Rice Stadium
ADVANTAGE: Rice
This one isn’t really a competition. Though both stadiums seat approximately 47,000 fans, the history of Rice Stadium far outweighs that of Ryan Field. The Express, a football movie starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid, was filmed at Northwestern’s home. Rice Stadium, on the other hand, hosted Super Bowl VII as well as John F. Kennedy’s famous 1962 speech in which he set a goal for America to get a man on the moon by the end of the year.