Rutgers Chose Indiana for its Blackout Game. This is Either Brilliant or Insane.

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This is what you dreamed of.

The lights go down.

SHI Stadium is packed.

Everyone is wearing black.

The light show starts.

“Dream On” is playing.

Students are screaming. Alumni are screaming because this is also the homecoming game. It’s also nighttime, which automatically increases the production value of everything tenfold.

The whole stadium feels like it’s waiting for something.

This is it.

This is Rutgers football.

Then Indiana gets the ball.

And 30 seconds later, you’re wondering if you should’ve stayed home.

We’ve done this before.

Rutgers pulled out the full production against Iowa. The stadium was rocking. The lights were going off and on. Everyone was ready.

LET’S GOOOOO.

And then Iowa returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

Of course they did.

So when Rutgers announced that Indiana would be the 2026 blackout game, my first reaction was pretty simple:

This is either going to be insanely awesome or an absolute disaster.

Probably both. But let us analyze the alternatives first.

Rutgers vs. USC- September 19th at 3:30 PM

There is one obvious reason why this game was not chosen. A blackout game in the afternoon just wouldn’t feel right. It’s the blackout, after all. I am aware that the Scarlet Knights defeated Arkansas in 2013 in a daytime version of the blackout game, but it just doesn’t hold the same luster.

Yet the flip side would be that it stands alone as a prime opportunity to have such a game. Although it is in the daytime and has already been announced as a Scarlet Out, this would have replicated the tradition of Rutgers’ first conference game being a blackout game.

However, I think not making this the blackout was the right choice. If this were a Friday night game under the lights, it would be too obvious not to be. But a Saturday afternoon game screams scarlet. Let us enjoy the 3:30 PM kickoff, as it is our only day game of the first five at SHI Stadium, and enjoy a night out on campus afterwards if we so choose.

Rutgers vs. Michigan- October 31st (TBD)

This is the game I figured that Rutgers would turn into the blackout game. Although the time is TBD, there is a good chance that it would end up becoming either a 3:30 or a night kickoff. And even in the 3:30 scenario, the sun would be going down in the second half, creating a proper blackout atmosphere.

Add in the fact that it will be Halloween, and there will be a spooky ambience at SHI Stadium. And Rutgers has been the nightmare matchup for Michigan over the years. On top of the 2014 win, the Knights’ first as a Big Ten member, Rutgers lost 48-42 in 3OT during the 2020 season, 20-13 in Ann Arbor a year later, and then led 17-14 at halftime against #4 Michigan in early November of 2022 before falling 52-17 to the Wolverines.

With that kind of history, Rutgers could turn Piscataway into a Knightmare for Michigan, with the blackout environment propelling the Knights to what could be a season-defining win. However, without the game time being known, and with the game being so far away, the blackout may lose its luster by that late in the season.

This would have been my pick for the blackout game, whether it was 3:30 PM or later on, but without a guaranteed night kickoff, I can understand why the university refrained from making that decision.

Other Home Games

Could Rutgers have thrown out a wild card and chosen a different game? In theory, they could have. UMass would have been an unlikely choice as the season opener with a 6 PM kickoff.

Howard would have been a more likely choice with a Friday 7 PM kickoff, but the university is celebrating Sir Henry’s birthday as well as Eric LeGrand’s 16th annual “A Walk to Believe.”

Most importantly, having the blackout game here would just be a giant letdown. Sure, the fans would see a nice blowout victory, but nothing about this game seems like the game to celebrate the greatness of Rutgers football. It might convince some people that this team is very good, but most will see right through the facade.

Nebraska would have been another option, but given that it is Military Appreciation Day and the Knights will be wearing their American Flag Block R helmets, the blackout uniforms would be out. And Senior Day vs. Michigan State is special enough for more than enough reasons to double-dip the theme. Besides, neither of these would be night games so late in the season, and it would be very cold at this time of year.

So Why Indiana?

Now that I have broken down the other option, what screams out that this should be the blackout game? We saw what happened with last year’s homecoming night game against Oregon. The team got humiliated 56-10, and most fans, students, and alumni left the stadium. Andrew and I, however, notably did not and suffered through it.

I think the answer has less to do with football and more to do with the spectacle of it all. Rutgers will welcome in the defending national champions, who start the season ranked #6 in the nation, and many may argue they are still being slighted. Even if Indiana is not quite where they were last year, they have far exceeded the Knights’ current trajectory and will be massive favorites at SHI Stadium.

With the game already being a night game and decided as homecoming due to Rutgers playing mostly road games and having their bye week in mid-October, the administration decided to go all in and triple-dip. Why not make it the blackout game too? Why not just bring everyone into the stadium? Fans, alumni, students, casuals, diehards, and likely a decent number of Hoosiers fans too.

Maybe Rutgers is dreaming big again. We saw what happened last year at the Iowa game and especially at the Oregon game. But think back to 2024 when Rutgers defeated Washington in the blackout. The crowd that night. How perfect everything was.

The win was part of it. But Rutgers is betting on a full house, a packed atmosphere, and looking for every excuse to bring fans into the seats for one of its biggest games of the season. Maybe the team just might decide to take advantage. Maybe Josh Hoover gets nervous in his first road start with the Hoosiers. Maybe the Knights come into the game 4-0, having stunned USC, and have all the buzz in the world. Maybe they are also ranked by then.

And in the likelihood that none of this happens, why can’t we all have a good time and get together anyway? Isn’t that the point of sports? Isn’t that the point of the blackout game? Isn’t that the point of homecoming? So if Rutgers wanted to combine its homecoming with one of its other biggest traditions, why don’t we just all enjoy it and see what this triple-dipper spectacle turns out to be rather than turning a blind eye before we get there?

So yeah, it might not be the smartest decision. But you better believe that Rutgers fans will be ready for the night of their lives. And maybe, just maybe, the raucous environment and the team will combine to produce a much closer game than anyone expected.

Just don’t allow an opening kickoff return touchdown this time. We’ve seen that one already.

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