Rutgers football is in the midst of a rebuild. The return of heralded head coach Greg Schiano and his prolific recruiting ability has jump started the program at the perfect time. As the already daunting Big Ten continues to grow, Schiano and his staff had a large challenge ahead of them. After going 5-8 last season, including a surprise bowl appearance, they are looking to get back to a .500 record or better for the first time since their inaugural season in the conference. After losing in the Gator Bowl to Wake Forest as a replacement for Texas A&M to close out the 2021 campaign, fans and coaching staff alike are hoping the team can earn a bowl bid outright in 2022.
Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY released his initial ranking of all 131 FBS schools on Wednesday, and he also releases a re-ranking each week during the season.
After a hot start to last season, including a 3-0 start and a tough fought week 4 loss against Michigan – Rutgers got as high as No. 56 in the rankings. By the regular season’s end, however, they settled in at No. 85. This year, they will start at No. 91 in Myerberg’s rankings.
The Big Ten is strong throughout the rankings, as usual, with five schools in the top 25, and 10 of the 14 programs in the top half of the rankings. Only two programs are in the triple-digits, with Rutgers just nearly missing out on that third digit as well.
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We will update you weekly with the current week and prior week’s rankings for all Big Ten schools. Stay tuned and hopefully watch Rutgers climb throughout the season.
| Teams | This week’s rank |
| Ohio State | 2 |
| Michigan | 4 |
| Penn State | 11 |
| Wisconsin | 16 |
| Iowa | 25 |
| Michigan State | 31 |
| Nebraska | 49 |
| Minnesota | 52 |
| Purdue | 57 |
| Maryland | 61 |
| Northwestern | 76 |
| Rutgers | 91 |
| Indiana | 109 |
| Illinois | 112 |
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