The Bayou Bucket Classic is coming back in 2017.
Longtime rivals Houston and Rice announced Thursday they will play a home-and-home series in 2017 and 2018. The Cougars and Owls will square off at UH’s TDECU Stadium on Sept. 30, 2017, and at Rice Stadium on Sept. 1, 2018.
The two programs, which are located just three miles from one another, played annually from 1971-1995 and 1999-2013 until Houston made the jump from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference.
The series’ previous break from 1996-1998 stemmed from the demise of the Southwest Conference.
The last meeting between the two teams was a 31-26 Houston win in 2013. The Cougars have dominated the series with a 29-11 record.
In addition to finalizing its agreement with Rice, Houston also announced a Sept. 10 home game against Lamar to round out its non-conference slate in 2016.
For more Houston news, visit CougarsDen.com.
For more Rice news, visit OwlsInsider.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
