Tag: USA TODAY football poll

Rutgers stumbles in latest USA TODAY 1-131 re-rank

USA TODAY released their weekly re-rank of all 131 FBS schools. How does Rutgers matchup with the rest of the Big Ten and the nation?

Rutgers football came crashing back to Earth this past weekend as they fell 27-10 to a strong Iowa team Saturday night. They suffered their first loss of the season in front of a sold-out crowd in Piscataway after starting the season with three victories.

The Scarlet Knights had a lot of things go wrong, but the offensive line and their ability to protect quarterback Evan Simon was the main reason why this game felt so out of hand. Partner those struggles with the Hawkeyes scoring two defensive touchdowns, and you have the perfect combination for a three score advantage for Iowa. Rutgers may not have continued their winnings ways, but they did confirm one thing for sure: Their rebuild is far from over.

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On Monday morning, Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY released his weekly re-rank of all 131 FBS schools and Rutgers, despite losing by 17, only saw a slight drop in their ranking – falling just six spots to No. 58 which is where they stood after their dominant victory over Wagner. A lot of the Big Ten stayed close to their rankings from last week as well. In fact, only two teams moved more than eight spots in either direction.

Michigan State saw the farthest fall as their struggles continue. The Spartans dropped 17 spots down to No. 53. Moving the other way, Minnesota continues their early-season surge and moved to 4-0 on the season and as a result were voted No. 23 in the latest USA TODAY Coaches Poll. As a result, they jumped 13 spots up to No. 26 in the re-rank. The top three teams in the Big Ten saw no movement and all remained undefeated.

Rutgers faced a big challenge in Iowa and things are not getting any easier. They hit the road to take on No. 3 Ohio State in which will be a true measuring stick for how much longer this rebuild has to go. They have three top 25 opponents in the next five weeks. The Scarlet Knights will need to tighten things up a bit if they want to receive a bowl bid by season’s end.

Let’s see how the Big Ten did in the 1-131 re-rank and how Rutgers measures up against the conference.

Last week’s rank Teams This week’s rank
3 Ohio State 3
4 Michigan 4
6 Penn State 6
39 Minnesota 26
37 Maryland 34
48 Iowa 40
36 Michigan State 53
46 Wisconsin 54
52 Rutgers 58
68 Illinois 66
70 Purdue 72
73 Indiana 80
102 Northwestern 109
113 Nebraska 115

 

Rutgers football rising in latest USA TODAY 1-131 re-rank

Let’s see where Rutgers stands compared to the rest of the Big Ten in the latest USA TODAY 1-131 re-rank

Rutgers football continued their winning ways in Week 3 of the college football season. They went into enemy territory and took down a game Temple Owls squad in Philadelphia, once again capitalizing on a key play from the defense to hold on for the 16-14 victory to move to 3-0 on the season for the second consecutive season.

The Scarlet Knights did add to their injury difficulties as one of the quarterbacks in the rotation, Gavin Wimsatt, left the field limping as the first quarter came to a close. Although he was seen with his helmet on, roaming the sidelines during the rest of the game – he did not return. With only one healthy scholarship quarterback available heading into Big Ten play, this will be an important situation to watch closely.

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Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY, released his weekly re-rank of all 131 FBS schools Monday morning and Rutgers, despite struggling against a team ranked in the 100’s, saw a slight increase in their ranking – jumping up six spots to No. 52. The rest of the Big Ten stayed close to their rankings last week, with only five teams swinging more than 10 spots from last week.

Northwestern’s struggles have then plummeting down the rankings. After being No. 51 after Week 1, the Wildcats are now down to No. 102 – one of two squads to from the Big Ten to be in the triple digits (Nebraksa). Indiana saw the largest jump in the conference, moving up 19 sports to No. 73. Three programs now sit in the top six of the rankings, and nine schools are in the top half with Illinois just in the bottom half at No. 68.

The easiest portion of Rutgers’ schedule is now behind them and they have some question marks heading into their first in-conference matchup at home against Iowa. The Hawkeyes are ranked just four spots above the Scarlet Knights so there will be drastic movement between these two teams in next week’s rankings. Iowa had trouble scoring in the first two weeks but dropped 27 in a Week 3 bounce-back against Nevada. No Big Ten matchup is easy, but if one of the injured QBs can get healthy in time, Rutgers may just make it a 4-0 start.

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Let’s check out how the Scarlet Knights compare to the rest of the Big Ten in the 1-131 re-rank.

Last week’s rank Teams This week’s rank
3 Ohio State 3
4 Michigan 4
8 Penn State 6
23 Michigan State 36
51 Maryland 37
48 Minnesota 39
47 Wisconsin 46
53 Iowa 48
58 Rutgers 52
68 Illinois 68
59 Purdue 70
92 Indiana 73
85 Northwestern 102
108 Nebraska 113

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