1972 Rice Owls football team

1972 Rice Owls football
Conference	Southwest Conference
Record	5–5–1 (3–4 SWC)
Head coach	Al Conover (1st season)
Home stadium	Rice Stadium

1972 Southwest Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Texas $	7	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Texas Tech	4	–	3	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
SMU	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Arkansas	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Rice	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Baylor	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
TCU	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Texas A&M	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1972 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University in the Southwest Conference during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. In their first year under head coach Al Conover, the team compiled a 5–5–1 record.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 9	Houston*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 14–13	51,000
September 23	Clemson*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 29–10	19,500
September 30	at Georgia Tech*	Grant Field Atlanta, GA	T 36–36	41,179
October 7	No. 8 LSU*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 6–12
October 21	at SMU	Cotton Bowl Dallas, TX	L 14–29	20,398
October 28	No. 10 Texas	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 9–45	65,000
November 4	No. 18 Texas Tech	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 6–10	20,000
November 11	at Arkansas	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	W 23–20	51,475
November 18	at Texas A&M	Kyle Field College Station, TX	W 20–14	28,231
November 25	No. 18 TCU	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 25–21
December 2	at Baylor	Baylor Stadium Waco, TX	L 14–28	26,000
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game