Alright folks, let’s just get this one out of the way. I don’t want to talk about Rutgers any more than any of you want to read about them.
What more is there to say about the “pride” of Northern New Jersey? They have not had a winning season since 2014, which weirdly enough was their first in the Big Ten. They went 8-5 that year with Gary Nova—no relation to former ECW wrestler Nova—at quarterback. That year the Scarlet Knights only lost to Penn State by three in James Franklin’s first year at the helm.
Ever since they have been the laughingstock of the conference. The only time the national media addresses Rutgers is to laugh at their misfortunes or to simply ask what the heck they are doing in the conference. The answer is easy, to be a tuneup game once the conference does away with non-conference games.
The lowlights have been aplenty for the Scarlet Knights over the past decade. They’ve had three seasons in which they’ve won two or fewer games. In 2018 and 2019, they only managed to muster 13 points per game.
The 2016 season was arguably a more embarrassing season for Rutgers. They were blanked in four games, including a 78-point loss to Michigan and a 58-point loss to Ohio State the year prior.
My point of all of this is that Rutgers has historically stunk in the Big Ten. They’ve somewhat been “better” in recent years under returning head coach Greg Schiano, but don’t let the media fool you, it’s still been hard times. Last year they only won four games and just one in the Big Ten conference. This is a look at Rutgers football ahead of the 2023 season.