1997 Rice Owls football team

1997 Rice Owls football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionMountain Division
Record7–4 (5–3 WAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDavid Lee (4th season)
Defensive coordinatorHardee McCrary (1st season)
Home stadiumRice Stadium
1997 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
Mountain Division
New Mexico x  6 2   9 4  
Rice  5 3   7 4  
SMU  5 3   6 5  
Utah  5 3   6 5  
BYU  4 4   6 5  
UTEP  3 5   4 7  
Tulsa  2 6   2 9  
TCU  1 7   1 10  
Pacific Division
No. 17 Colorado State x$  7 1   11 2  
Air Force  6 2   10 3  
Fresno State  5 3   6 6  
Wyoming  4 4   7 6  
San Diego State  4 4   5 7  
San Jose State  4 4   4 7  
UNLV  2 6   3 8  
Hawaii  1 7   3 9  
Championship: Colorado State 41, New Mexico 13
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Rice Owls football team was an American football team that represented Rice University as a member of the Mountain Division in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach Ken Hatfield, the Owls compiled an overall record of 7–4 record with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in three-way tie for second in the WAC's Mountain Division. The team played home games at Rice Stadium in Houston.