A decently written assessment of the game.
On the bright side … they don’t have to play Bama.
Rutgers sports in general are just an embarrassment. Unbelievable how they’re in the Big Ten. I dont think the commissioner realizes that no one in the NY/NJ area actually gives a damn about college sports because all the local teams are awful.
Rutgers was not always this bad. Two seasons ago, Rutgers went 8-5, including a 26-24 win over Michigan:
http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap/_/id/400547997
Rutgers had about five good football years (06-11) under Greg Schiano, which they were able to use as an entrance ticket into the Big 10 at the height of the conference re-alignment craze.
They were stuck on the sinking ship of the Big East and were looking for any available life boat. And they wound up with a first class cabin on the QE 2. Incredible luck and timing. They are laughing all the way to the bank.
The other big money maker for a school comes during basketball season. Ah, revenue sharing.
The non-revenue sport that I know that was underfunded before is fully-funded this year. You can laugh at Rutgers football results all you want.
No one would laugh, it’s indisputable that big time athletics benefits colleges (including other sports) in many ways so I’m always amused at the anti-athlete posts. BTW, I’m in the unusual position of having two friends married to an ex-Big 10 quarterback and ex-Big 10 defensive end…both those guys have done really well in life with their education. I can’t speak to any other league, but I’m not one to perpetuate big dumb jock jokes.
NJ.com NEVER does RU any favors. Most negative home paper of any state U I know about. But that’s NJ too. It always was assumed these games at RU would be attractive to the many other BIG alums in the region.
You know, Rutgers has women’s sports too, and some of those are pretty competitive.
barrons, I guess there was alot of maize and blue in the stadium at Rutgers, some reporting as high as 25% of the attendance…it would have been a good game for Rutgers supporters to come out in full force. A losing team never helps, but I just don’t think the culture is “there” yet at Rutgers. They didn’t even know that it was becoming a tradition for the “home band” to go visit the opposing team and do a short version of that team’s fight song as a welcome. New Jersey will learn what big time college football is in time I suppose. I hope they do, it’s great family fun on a glorious fall Saturday not to mention something that bonds alumni for generations and generations.
Actually, we do care. They’re just children. I don’t like to see blowouts like that because I fee badly for the kids, but I love the game. Sometimes, players just have a bad day. It happens at all levels. The Packers and Giants both seemed to be having a bad week too. Maybe next week will be better for all of them.
Just over a year ago RU’s basketball team beat one of the best UW teams in history–a team that played and beat undefeated Kentucky in the Final Four later that same season.
How do you think that RU team felt that night??
austinmshauri, they aren’t children by any means, but they are classmates of the other students at Rutgers and it must be disheartening to see all your peers leaving the stands. No matter your age that would be disheartening.
I’d like to see Rutgers be good at some sport. Any sport. While football isn’t great, Maryland is a basketball powerhouse, with the women ranked in the top 10 year after year. Wisconsin and Minnesota are awesome in volleyball. Everyone in the big 10 is good at something except Rutgers. Michigan is one of the rare schools that combines high academics with great athletics in both revenue and non-revenue sports. Improving football would help fund a lot of scholarships. Look at Bama - they use a good portion of 'Tide football revenue to fund NMF scholarships.
Rutgers women’s basketball has been incredibly good over the years–played in the Nat championship in 07, been high in the tournament many times.
Rutgers football has come a long way since the 70s when it basically played a mixed Ivy/Patriot league schedule. That is a completely different level of competition from the Big East, and the Big10 is another step. It requires a change in expectations from the administration and coaching staff, and it requires relentless, single-minded coaching and recruiting. Maybe the football coach is the right guy. Time will tell.
If they can bootstrap themselves into a .500 type Big10 team, the school will be very happy that they’ve joined the Big10. Its probably easier for them to do that in basketball than in football, but both can be done. Its just very hard to figure out who the great coaches are going to be when they’re only 30. That’s the “trick”.
Wisconsin is pretty good in basketball and football too. Two FFs and Sweet 16 last 3 years. Top pick in BIG this year.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/QTP_161012bigtenawards/nigel-hayes-wisconsin-dominate-big-ten-preseason-honors
You forgot MSU and Basketball! The coach is unmatched in getting teams to the NCAA finals. Students camp out to get tickets for the Izzone. Maybe they can develop some traditions out of the kids that support the Rutgers basketball team and transport them over to football.
Rutgers is ranked in the top 20 in men’s lacrosse, with only Hopkins in the B1G 10 ranked above it. Penn state, Ohio State, and Michigan are all below Rutgers in rankings. For women’s, it’s ~40, with only Northwestern ranked above. B1G 10 isn’t strong in lacrosse, but growing.