CBS Sports Ranks Rutgers Football at No.16 in Post Spring Practice Big Ten Power Rankings

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CBS Sports has released its official post-spring practice Big Ten Power Rankings for football, with Rutgers being listed at No.16 in the conference, ahead of only two schools, Michigan State and Purdue. The two schools listed ahead of Rutgers on the list are Wisconsin and Maryland, despite the Knights handing the Terrapins two convincing losses over the past two seasons.

Each team’s ranking included a blurb explaining why it was ranked the way it was.

“Two of the Big Ten’s most productive offensive weapons are back in Piscataway as Rutgers leading receiver KJ Duff and top running back Antwan Raymond return for another year. 

The duo accounted for more than half of the Scarlet Knights’ yards from scrimmage and offensive touchdowns last season. Still, it feels unlikely Boston College transfer quarterback Dylan Longeran replicates the production Athan Kaliakmanis gave Rutgers, and the defense, which finished 117th nationally in scoring, remains a major concern,“ said Cody Nagel of CBS Sports.

One interesting thing to note about Nagel’s comments is that he assumes that Lonergan is going to be the starting quarterback next season, despite Lonergan currently being in a quarterback battle with AJ Surace. On top of that, it is important to note that Boston College struggled as a team all around last season, and Lonergan did not have as good of a supporting cast as he will have with Rutgers, because the Knights were able to retain stars such as wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond in the transfer portal.

In addition, the reality is that Rutgers’ defense was poor enough last season that it would be hard to imagine them not taking some sort of step forward this season with a new defensive coaching staff and the transfers they brought in.

The issue with Rutgers currently is that there is too much unknown to make a solid prediction of where they might end up in the standings. A new starting quarterback and a new defensive structure leave a lot of question marks; however, there is reason to be hopeful because Rutgers retained two stars in the off-season, replaced its defensive staff, and has promising prospects coming up.

What do you think of Nagel’s assessment of Rutgers? Would you have them ranked in a different spot?

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