Rutgers Football 2026 Schedule: Key Games, Good and the Bad

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Rutgers should be better, but it’s been hard when it has to deal with a slew of Big Ten stars.

The 2026 football schedule has enough winnable games to come up with a stronger season, but the Scarlet Knights can’t whiff when they have their chances.

Here’s our analysis of the slate with all the positives and negatives.

Breaking Down the Rutgers 2026 Football Schedule

Nov 22, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano celebrates with Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Jacobie Henderson (10) (obscured) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter at Ohio Stadium. © Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Good

There are way too many manageable games not to get to at least six wins. Six games are against teams that didn’t go bowling last year. Northwestern, Nebraska, and Penn State might be gettable on the right days, and the timing isn’t too bad. Boston College is the only road game until mid-October, but …

The Bad

The finishing kick is a bear. There’s a run of four road games in six dates before closing against Michigan State, home games against Indiana, Michigan, and USC are anything but a given, and overall, there’s absolutely zero margin for error.

What Big Ten Teams Rutgers Will Miss

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Washington.

The Scarlet Knights trade missing Indiana and Michigan for Ohio State and Oregon – that’s a good deal. Not having to deal with Illinois, Iowa, and Washington is great, too, but missing Purdue and UCLA hurts.

Rutgers’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: Rutgers owns SHI early

In a perfect world, the Scarlet Knights become a nightmare in Piscataway. With so many early home games, they stun USC and/or Indiana to get off to a whale of a start.

They hold their own in a few of the winnable midseason road games and take down home games against Nebraska and Michigan State late.

Worst Case: There’s a problem on the road

No, Rutgers isn’t great at home – it loses to USC, Indiana, and Michigan – and stinks on the road.

It drops the Week 2 date at Boston College, slips at Maryland, and loses at Northwestern to all but end the season at the midway point.

Rutgers Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 3 UMass
Sept 11 at Boston College
Sept 19 USC
Sept 26 Howard
Oct 3 Indiana
Oct 10 OPEN DATE
Oct 17 at Maryland
Oct 24 at Northwestern
Oct 31 Michigan
Nov 7 at Wisconsin
Nov 14 Nebraska
Nov 21 at Penn State
Nov 28 Michigan State

Games That Will Decide Rutgers’s Season

1. at Maryland, Oct. 17
For this to be any sort of decent season, Rutgers has to take down a few of the winnable road games. In Big Ten play, beating Maryland is a must, especially coming after a week off.

2. Nebraska, Nov. 14
Is this going to be a bowl season? Winning the November home games is a must, starting with this, and ending with Michigan State.

3. USC, Sept. 19
The 42-20 USC win in 2024 was the only time these two played. This year, it’s the Big Ten opener, and it could be a huge statement for Rutgers.

This story was originally published by College Football News on Jan 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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