The last time Dave Portnoy picked Rutgers in a season opener, it worked out pretty well for him. For Sunday’s season opener against Big Ten rival Northwestern, Portnoy picked Rutgers.
Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports and the best reviewer of pizza (and watermelon), has been complimentary of Rutgers in the past. This includes last fall where he praised Rutgers and the Big Ten program’s facilities.
Portnoy was asked for his “mortal lock” college football pick of the week by Dan Katz, better known as ‘Big Cat’ by Stoolies. Portnoy was locked-in on his pick.
“I’m going to go with Rutgers, Rutgers -6.5. Sometimes, don’t think just throw. To me, I don’t know what the actual talent level differential is on the field,” Portnoy said.
“But you have one program, Schiano, who has bought in and they’re going to be ready to roll versus another program that is destroyed. So I’m going to go with Rutgers. Only -6.5 and maybe win by 40.”
Northwestern has had a tumultuous offseason, including the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald amidst allegations of hazing within the program. Replacing Fitzgerald is David Braun, who serves as the interim head coach of Northwestern.
The line from Prtnoy of Rutgers winning by 40 points is certainly an exaggeration. In 2021, Rutgers lost 21-7 at Northwestern in the last meeting between these two Big Ten programs.
Despite their 1-11 record last year, Northwestern is still a strong team. Last year, after beating Nebraska in Ireland, the Wildcats lost their next three games by a combined 18 points. Five of their losses were by eight or fewer points.
Rutgers is trending towards a sell-out for the game.
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