Saturday’s regular-season finale has the potential to deliver a big result for Rutgers football. It could set Rutgers up for their first winning season since 2014 when they joined the Big Ten Network.
Both Maryland and Rutgers come into Saturday’s game at SHI Stadium (3:30 PM ET, Big Ten Network). Maryland, despite being down big at halftime, battled back and had a legitimate shot to take down No. 3 Michigan.
Maryland is currently fourth in ESPN’s Big Ten Power Rankings. Rutgers checks in at seventh.
And it was a physical, tough game as Rutgers lost 27-6 at No. 12 Penn State. At halftime, Rutgers was down just 10-6. It is now a third straight loss for Rutgers, all against ranked Big Ten opposition.
Both teams limp into this weekend beat-up and hurt. The Scarlet Knights and the Terrapins each hold a 6-5 record. Both teams have won three of their eight Big Ten games.
Two weeks ago, ESPN FPI had Rutgers as the ever so slight favorite to win this game, which is the Big Ten regular-season finale for both teams.
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The ESPN FPI update following both teams’ losses this weekend now has Maryland as the favorite (54.4 percent). Last week, Maryland held the slight advantage over Rutgers but that stretch has broadened a bit following this weekend’s games.
In all likelihood, this won’t be the final game of the season for either team as both programs are bowl-eligible. Rutgers has lost their last two meetings to Maryland including a 37-0 loss at Maryland to close out the season.
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In 2021, Maryland celebrated bowl eligibility with a win at SHI Stadium over Rutgers.