Rutgers football just can’t escape all these Big East rivalries. The latest bowl projection from USA TODAY Sports has Rutgers playing a team it knows quite well.
At 6-2 (3-2 Big Ten), it all seems real as Rutgers is bowl-eligible following Saturday’s 31-14 win at Indiana. And now all those bowl projections from the last few weeks finally have meaning.
According to USA TODAY’s Erick Smith, Rutgers is heading to the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28 where it will face Boston College. The two programs were members of the Big East two decades ago before Boston College and Virginia Tech left to join the ACC.
Earlier this year, Rutgers won over Virginia Tech to improve their then record to 3-0 on the season. Rutgers has four wins on the year against Power Five competition.
Last year, using a late-game drive, Rutgers won at Boston College in the season opener for both programs.
[lawrence-related id=31452,31444]
The Pinstripe Bowl is geographically the closest bowl to Rutgers, as it is played in New York City (Bronx) at Yankee Stadium. Rutgers owns a 1-1 record in the bowl game.
Boston College’s head coach is Jeff Hafley, who was a member of the Rutgers coaching staff during Schiano’s first tenure with the program.
One of two bowl projections from ESPN this week has Rutgers heading to the Pinstripe Bowl.