Category: College sports

Ohio State, Stanford find themselves at the top of updated Directors’ Cup Standings

Ohio State is leading the way in the latest Learfield Cup standings while Stanford is not too far behind as the Cardinals chase for their 26th title.

With winter sports officially behind us, the latest Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I standings were released on Thursday with the winter sports included in the update.

Ohio State and Stanford lead the pack through the fall and winter seasons with the Buckeyes holding a comfortable 109-point lead heading into the heart of spring sports.

The Learfield Directors’ Cup more commonly referred to as the Directors’ Cup is an award given out annually to the most successful college athletics program in the country at each level. Throughout the 28-year history of the NCAA Division I Directors’ Cup, there have only ever been three winners. Stanford leads the charge with 25 overall wins and 28 top-ten finishes.

After winning each cup from 1994-1995 through 2018-2019, the Cardinals have finished second in each of the last two years as the Texas Longhorns won their first cup in 2020-2021 and followed it up with a repeat title last year. North Carolina is the only other school to ever win the Directors’ Cup at the Division I level, doing so in the very first year in 1993-1994.

Ohio State has come close to winning the cup before, finishing second in 2010-2011,  2015-2016, and 2016-2017. Overall, they’ve finished within the top 10, 14 times including last year when they finished fourth. The most top-10 finishes without a national championship belong to Florida, which has finished top-10 in each year the cup has been awarded. As of the latest update, the Gators are currently sitting 25th in the country 133 points behind Wisconsin which is currently in the No.10 spot.

Below, we go over the top 10 athletic departments in the recent updates as well as the two programs sitting just outside the top 10.

Rutgers upsets No. 1: Five keys from Thursday’s historic win

The Rutgers men’s basketball team beat Purdue on a buzzer-beater Thursday night to earn their first win over a No. 1-ranked team.

Coming off of a bad loss a week ago against Illinois, Rutgers faced the challenge of facing the newly crowned No.1 Purdue Boilermakers. To make matters worse, they would once again be without one of their leaders, senior guard Geo Baker.

There were a few things in Rutgers’ favor, though. First, things can’t be as bad as that Illinois game … right? Second, the Scarlet Knights returned home to a raucous crowd at Jersey Mike’s Arena that was sold out for the 15th consecutive game. Lastly, despite never having beaten the top-ranked team in the country, Rutgers had Purdue’s number as of late. Coming into the contest, the Scarlet Knights had won three in a row against the Boilermakers.

Many fans wondered if unranked Rutgers could compete with Purdue. Well, the Scarlet Knights did more than just compete, they earned a hard-fought 70-68 victory.

Let’s take a look at five key takeaways from the thrilling upset in Piscataway.

Final USA TODAY 1-130 re-rank: Where did Rutgers settle?

Paul Myerberg released his weekly re-rank of all 130 FBS schools on Monday. Let’s take a look at how the Scarlet Knights lined up with the rest of the conference.

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Rutgers football team dropped their final game of the season to Maryland at home, 40-16. As a result, the Scarlet Knights fell to 5-7 on the season, one win short of qualifying for a bowl game. All fans can do is look back on the season in various ways: to celebrate those upperclassmen who are moving on beyond RU, to look at stats and project for next season, or even try and see where the team matches up after the season to start preparing for next season.

Paul Myerberg released his weekly re-rank of all 130 FBS schools on Monday, and after the unpredictable college football season, there was of course still plenty of movement across the landscape of NCAA football. Before taking a look at where Rutgers stands compared to the Big Ten or the entire FBS, remember they fell short of their postseason dreams this year. With 80 teams now playing in bowl games. That may be a predictor for you when thinking about where they might land.

Rutgers reached No. 56 in the re-rank after week 4, their first loss in a tough-fought contest against now No. 3 Maryland. This week, Rutgers came in at No. 85, their lowest ranking of the season. The team’s outlook going into next season should be optimistic as a result of the bright spots they had. They had a lot of experts’ attention and continue to build a strong recruiting class.

Minnesota had the biggest rise, while Wisconsin had the steepest drop in the Big Ten. Let’s take a look at how the Scarlet Knights lined up with the rest of the conference.

Last Week’s rank Teams This Week’s rank
4 Ohio State 8
5 Michigan 3
11 Iowa 11
15 Michigan State 13
24 Wisconsin 37
32 Penn State 32
36 Purdue 34
42 Minnesota 33
74 Nebraska 84
77 Maryland 75
80 Rutgers 85
92 Illinois 90
100 Northwestern 105
107 Indiana 109

 

Rutgers slight underdog in season finale

both the Scarlet Knights and their opponents, the Maryland Terrapins, both come into the game with a 5-6 record. A win for either team results in them going bowling. 

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The last week of the regular season for the Big Ten is upon us. For Rutgers, they enter the week with qualifying for a bowl game on the line. In fact, both the Scarlet Knights and their opponents, the Maryland Terrapins, both come into the game with a 5-6 record. A win for either team results in them going bowling.

Rutgers is at home in the contest, but the Terps come to town as a 1.5-point favorite according to Tipico Sportsbook. Maryland has had a similar season to Rutgers. They started the season 4-0 (Rutgers started 3-0) before dropping three straight. They rebounded to win another game before dropping all three games in a gauntlet stretch versus Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan. Both teams only Big Ten victories this season came against Illinois and Indiana.

Looking at the USA TODAY 1-130 re-rank, both teams had similar up-and-down movement all season. The Terrapins currently sit at No. 77, whereas the Scarlet Knights came in at No. 80. The final regular season game will determine Big Ten results, 1-130 standing, and obviously their bowl game eligibility as well.

In the latest update from the analytical arm of ESPN, the ESPN FPI gives Rutgers a 66.7% chance of walking away from Piscataway with a victory – their largest number this season. The OU total was set at 53 – also the highest total for any Rutgers game this season.

When looking at records against the spread, it heavily favors the Scarlet Knights. They are 6-5 ATS for the season. The Terrapins are 3-8 ATS on the season and have lost the last seven. Straight up, Maryland has fallen apart as well losing six of the last seven. Their one win was an unimpressive three-point escape against Indiana. With that being said, the fact that Maryland enters the game as a road favorite is not a good sign for Rutgers fans.

The point total has almost been a gimme when betting on the Scarlet Knights given their low offensive point total. Five of the last six games for Rutgers has gone under. In five of those games, Rutgers has scored 20 points or less. On the other side, Maryland has seen six games go over this season. Even with that being the case, taking the over in a Rutgers game does not seem like the smart move.

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

  • Money line: Maryland -125 (bet $125 to win $100) Rutgers +102 (bet $100 to win $102)
  • Against the spread (ATS):  Maryland -1.5 (-115) Rutgers +1.5 (-107)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 53.5 (O: -110 U: -110)

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Ten reasons for Rutgers sports fans to give thanks this year

On Thanksgiving, here are 10 reasons why Rutgers sports fans should be thankful.

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Thanksgiving is so very often linked with sports, the football game on the television often complimented by an aggressive game of two-hand touch in the backyard between servings of turkey and pie. This year, there is a lot to be thankful for and Rutgers sports fans are no different.

Mmmm, pie.

OK, back to the original topic here.

It has been a banner year for Rutgers sports in many, many areas.

In light of everything that is currently going on in the world, sports often times doesn’t rank as a priority. But over the past two years, sports and Rutgers athletics have done more than be a distraction, often serving as a reason to cheer.

And while not perfect, Rutgers is certainly trending in the right direction.

A look at 10 reasons for Rutgers fans to be thankful for this past year.

Rutgers plays underdog to Indiana

Rutgers is a 6.5 point underdog against the Hoosiers. Indiana has had a rough go of it this season, but are still favored to beat the Scarlet Knights by a tad more than a touchdown.

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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are once again underdogs this week. This time, against a two-win Indiana Hoosiers team coming off a 29-7 loss to No. 8 Michigan.

ESPN FPI had Rutgers as a near split with Indiana prior to the demolition derby that was their game against Wisconsin this past weekend. However, they are now giving the Scarlet Knights a 33.8% chance in this matchup. FPI has Rutgers favored in only one of their remaining three games, which does not bode well for their bowl game hopes.

Rutgers is a 6.5 point underdog against the Hoosiers. Indiana has had a rough go of it this season, but are still favored to beat the Scarlet Knights by a tad more than a touchdown. It is surprising that the line is this large, given Rutgers’ ability to contain mediocre offenses like Indiana’s. Even more so considering Indiana is the only team in the Big Ten without a conference victory so far this season. The Scarlet Knights would like to keep it that way.

Rutgers will need to control the pace and dominate in the running game in order to have a chance at reversing their fortunes. After snapping a four game skid just to get blown out by the Badgers, and only being favored by ESPN FPI in one remaining game, Rutgers fans will be hoping they steal one this week in order to get one step closer to their bowl goals.

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

The Scarlet Knights are 5-4 ATS and 4-5 O/U this season.

  • Money line: Indiana -300 (bet $300 to win $100) Rutgers +230 (bet $100 to win $230)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Indiana -6.5 (-125) Rutgers +6.5 (-100)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 42.5 (O: -108 U: -112)

Visit our free to play game lobby at Daily Ticket, Powered by Tipico Sportsbook

Rutgers team Athletics: Oct. 6-13

Rutgers athletics might have had the last three days off, but make no mistake about it: their past week was jam packed. Let’s look back at the week that was in Rutgers athletics.

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Rutgers athletics might have had the last three days off, but make no mistake about it: their past week was jam-packed. Fans of the Scarlet Knights are aware of the struggles Rutgers has gone through in football, losing three straight to ranked Big Ten opponents.

As usual, the rest of the Olympic/team sports continue to make waves in their respective sports. The fall season is certainly being paced by women’s soccer and field hockey, both of which are top 10 respectively in the national polls and are dominating in Big Ten play.

Men’s soccer as well as women’s volleyball are also having very solid seasons.

Let’s look back at the week that was in Rutgers athletics.

Rutgers football: Week 5 MVPs

Rutgers lost to No. 7 Ohio State in a game that truly never felt close with a final score of 52-13. Just because the score was lopsided does not mean there are not bright spots we can celebrate from Rutgers. Let’s look at the MVP from each phase for the Scarlet Knights.

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After much anticipation, Week 5 of the Rutgers football season has come and gone and although the dust settled after 60 minutes, the result was settled early into this Big Ten contest. Rutgers was hopeful they could build on the momentum they were able to build after a very strong second half the week prior against Michigan but their efforts were to no avail.

The Scarlet Knights lost to No. 7 Ohio State in a game that truly never felt close. With a final score of 52-13, this was a stark reminder that while Rutgers has surprised some folks this year with how strong they looked, they are still a rebuilding program.

Just because the score was lopsided does not mean there are not bright spots we can celebrate from Rutgers. Let’s look at the MVP from each phase for the Scarlet Knights.

The week that was in Rutgers Athletics

Rutgers athletics had another busy week this past week. Let’s look back at the week that was for the team sports within the Scarlet Knights athletic program.

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Rutgers athletics had another busy week this past week. Much of the media focus may have been on the football team opening their Big Ten schedule against a ranked Michigan squad, but it wasn’t the only game in town for fans of all things sports at Rutgers.

Rutgers is clearly trending up with their Olympic sports. Three programs are nationally ranked and coming off big results.

Let’s look back at the week that was for the team sports within the Scarlet Knights athletic program.

Rutgers Athletics: What a weekend for the Scarlet Knights!

Scarlet Knights football impressed in their season opener, but they weren’t the only impressive squad Rutgers had on the field this past weekend. A clean sweep in team sports made for a great holiday weekend

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Rutgers athletics had plans to open the Labor Day weekend with a sellout at SHI Stadium as the Scarlet Knights were scheduled to take on the Temple Owls on the gridiron. After Hurricane Ida pushed back the season opener, the football team found themselves in the middle of a packed Scarlet Knights sports schedule over the holiday weekend. The football squad dominated Temple in the rescheduled game on Saturday 61-14. They impressed enough to receive some votes in the USA Today AFCA coaches poll. What’s more impressive than that? How about Rutgers going undefeated in all team sports over the weekend? Let’s take a look at what the other Scarlet Knights did to celebrate the extended weekend.