The second half: where will the wins come from?
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We’re at the bye week. It isn’t exactly the half way point, but it’s as good a place as any to look ahead.
Five games down, a 1-4 record, and a few games that looked really ugly. A coach who may, or may not, be coaching for his job. An athletic director who has, perhaps, the future of Rutgers athletics in her hands based on one decision.
Too hyperbolic? I was thinking it might be. But maybe not.
The Road Games
Only one game on the road thus far and that one was….ugly? wrong? winnable? Bottom line, the Knights are 0-1 on the road. There are now four games left away from Piscataway, never an easy situation in the B1G.
Maryland 10/17: when the Knights restart the season, they’ll be in College Park facing an opponent that is currently 2-3 and will likely be 2-4 (which would be four Ls in a row) when they face RU. Mike Locksley is on a pretty hot seat and will be looking to find a win to stay behind Schiano on their likely way out the door.
RU/Schiano are 3-3 vs. Locksley in Schiano 2.0. That includes two blowout losses, but winning the last two. The Terps have been outscored in their two conference games this season, 102-26; the Buckeyes are next up next, so….
Northwestern 10/24: The Wildcats are a pretty good team, just ask Matt Campbell. They are 3-1, are playing in a new $800 million palace, and aren’t your father’s Northwestern. They crushed Colorado, beat some team from Pennsylvania, and hung tough with Indiana – in Bloomington. The ‘Cats are trying to create a special place to play at the new Ryan Field. Might not be that easy for Rutgers. Any optimism? Well, Northwestern travels to Oregon the week after Rutgers visits so could this be a trap game for David Braun’s squad?
Wisconsin 11/7: Before the season began, there were more than a few people – me included – who thought Luke Fickell was on the hotseat and coaching to save his job. Well done, Luke. The Badgers are 4-1 as they go into the same bye week as RU. Their only loss? A week one setback to currently No. 3 Notre Dame. They have a tough stretch leading up to the Rutgers game: No. 21 UCLA, No. 19 USC, and then No. 20 Iowa.
Penn State 11/21: Well, this is, right now, a very different game than most of us envisioned pre-season. For the Lions, it will be Senior Day, the final game of the season at Beaver Stadium. The fans have not been very happy with the current iteration of PSU football under their new coach; the team has looked unsure, erratic, not championship caliber. They are 3-2 (0-2 B1G) and host USC Saturday night in a nationally televised game. If their season goes south, the Nitts will be looking to get well in their last two games….against Rutgers and Maryland.
So, four road games and the Scarlet will be….what, when those games are done? Maryland is as messed up as Rutgers, and that might be the only win from this group. But, as someone once said, in a toss up game take the home squad.
The Home Games
Rutgers is 1-3 at home to start the season; that is never a good look. The expectation was more likely 2-2 in most people’s minds. And it could/should have been 3-1.
Home field, which is supposed to be an advantage, hasn’t been that so far this year. And there are only three games left while wearing scarlet to make a positive mark on the record.
Michigan 10/31: The Wolverines under new coach Kyle Whittingham have struggled. Officially they are 3-2, but we all know it’s actually 2-3. They lost to Iowa – at home – and just lost the Little Brown Jug to Minnesota. They’re off this week before they host Penn State and Indiana. They could be rolling or reeling when they travel to Piscataway on Halloween.
Nebraska 11/14: Matt Rhule seems to have found his and Nebraska’s stride.They are 5-0 right now and host Indiana this weekend, a showdown of immense importance for both squads. Remember those people in the preseason saying, “hey maybe we can sneak a win by beating Nebraska to get to six wins”. The Huskers have outscored their opponents 218-71. ‘Nuff said.
Michigan State 11/28: New coach Pat Fitzgerald and his 2-3 Spartans are currently on a three game losing streak. The team hasn’t won outside of East Lansing so far. This game was one of the wins most of us foresaw before the season started; it still could be. But, the Saturday after Thanksgiving has not been kind to the Scarlet, sporting a 1-4 record, including 0-2 while in the Big Ten. Both teams will likely be playing out the string, but Fitzgerald will be seeing what he has for next year; Schiano, maybe not.
Three games at home. Michigan wanting to prove something, Nebraska wanting to continue something, Michigan State trying to say something.
The bottom line
Could Rutgers “beat someone we don’t expect to beat” down the stretch? I’m not seeing it based on what we’ve seen to date. There might be two wins from these seven, meaning a 3-9 season and 2-7 in conference. Which, to me, says that on Monday, November 30, Keli Zinn has a press conference.
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