 The Rice Owls and Texas met in 2005 for the 88th time. Texas held a 65 – 21 – 1 lead in the series, which began in 1914. For the Longhorns this series ranks fourth in number of games played, behind Texas A & M, Oklahoma, and Baylor. The two schools were once conference foes in the Southwest Conference and have maintained a rivalry despite the fact that Texas enjoys a sizable lead in the series. President John F. Kennedy alluded to the lopsidedness of the rivalry in his 1962 speech on America's space program: "But why, some say, the moon? ... And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain. Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? ... We choose to go to the moon ... and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard." In addition to continuing a traditional rivalry, playing Rice in a home and away series allows for Texas to play games in Houston, Texas, an important recruiting base for UT, which has a significant Texas Exes alumni population.
