
	The Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice&#39;s crest.

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	Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics and is part of Conference USA. Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference until its breakup in 1996. Rice then joined the Western Athletic Conference before joining C-USA on July 1, 2005.

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	Rice is the second smallest school competing in NCAA Division I FBS football measured by undergraduate enrollment, just above the University of Tulsa&#39;s 2,756. Rice&#39;s major sports rivalry is with the University of Texas at Austin, and cross-town University of Houston is another rival.
