Rutgers finished 7-6 in last season, capping their season year with a win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights need to take another step forward, especially with the addition of Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA to the Big 10. Coach Greg Schiano has been back with Rutgers for a few years now, and it may be time for him to make some progress in against some of the big names in their conference.
Week 1: Howard at Rutgers
Week 2: Akron at Rutgers
Week 3: Rutgers at Virginia Tech
Week 4: Washington at Rutgers
Week 5: Rutgers at Nebraska
Week 6: Wisconsin at Rutgers
Week 7: UCLA at Rutgers
Week 8: Rutgers at USC
Week 9: Minnesota at Rutgers
Week 10: Rutgers at Maryland
Week 11: Illinois at Rutgers
Week 12: Rutgers at Michigan State
Rutgers has managed to not have to face all of the top teams in the Big 10, which is interesting for sure. Missing out of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa and Oregon means that this schedule may have more victories for the Scarlet Knights than previous ones have had. Obviously facing USC, UCLA and Washington will be a new norm for Rutgers, even if it winds up just being every other year.
Last season, Rutgers struggled mightily against ranked teams, finishing 0-4 and being outscored 115-29. If Rutgers wants to make real, tangible progress, they cannot get steamrolled by the best teams. They need to keep games competitive against the talented schools, and take care of business against the schools that they should beat. If they can take a few wins away from some of their bigger competitors, they may be inline for what amounts to be a big season.
I am personally looking forward to a big year in Piscataway.
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