The rivalry existed in a more official capacity after Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference in 1971, in which Rice was a charter member.

The first official game between the teams was played in 1971 when Houston joined the now-defunct Southwest Conference of which Rice was also a member.

Although the last Southwest Conference football game was part of the series,[7] the teams no longer compete against each other regularly.

[8] September 11, 1971: The first-ever matchup between Houston and Rice, The Cougars claimed a 23–21 victory over the Owls in what is still the most attended game in series history, with 62,000 people showing up to watch.

[9] December 2, 1995: In what was the last football game in Southwest Conference history, Houston came away with a thrilling 18–17 victory over Rice thanks to two-fourth quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Chuck Clements.

18 Houston cruised to a 73–34 victory over Rice behind nine touchdown passes from star quarterback Case Keenum.