Rutgers football gameday!

OK Rutgers fans, last regular season game of the year and YES, the Scarlet Knights CAN still make it to a BCS game but those chances are slim. Tom Luicci with the Star-Ledger explains how slim:

Three things now need to happen for the Scarlet Knights to have a chance at earning the Big East's automatic BCS bowl:
1. Rutgers needs to beat Connecticut on Saturday;
2. West Virginia has to lose in its season finale at South Florida on Thursday;
3. Cincinnati has to win its final two games, with the Bearcats at Syracuse on Saturday before closing out at home against Connecticut.

Ah yes, beating Connecticut.

Last week as you'll recall we gave up on the Rutgers running game and Jawan Jamison promptly ripped off a 200 yard afternoon on the ground. Could Rutgers maybe get another 100 yards out of Jamison? It certainly would be key. Now the Huskies are a strong defensive team especially against the run so not becoming too one-dimensional would go a long way. The Rutgers defense this season has been stout. They are the reason the Piscataway 11 are still alive for a BCS bowl game. They really have their work cut out for them today in UConn's two-headed QB system. Johnny McAntee can't can pass but can't run while Scott McCummings can run very well but probably couldn't hit water if he threw the ball out of a boat. Rutgers defense needs to communicate and know who is out there on every down.

Rutgers has pretty well owned Connecticut in football (And UConn returns the favor in hoops) over the years and it is our opinion that will continue for one more game.

Fearless Forecast
Rutgers gets power up and claims a share of the Big East title!
Rutgers 28
Connecticut 23

If you're wondering how Rutgers fares in the Big East football tie-breakers we've got you covered

If you're wondering how the tie-breakers int he Big East make shake out if and when Rutgers ties for the conference crown and hopefully snare a BCS bowl game. We hope you have some kind of advanced math degree:

Put it all together and West Virginia is probably in the best position to end up in the BCS in that scenario because of BCS rankings. In the “Mini-Conference” scenario, “Teams A & B are 2-1 (UL, WVU), and Teams C & D are 1-2 (Cincy, RU). The higher ranked of the 2-1 teams earns the bid. If the 2-1 teams tie for the highest ranking, the bid goes to the team that won the head-to-head match up.”

There's MUCH more to it and you can see the entire scenario here.

Rutgers football gameday!

It's the game of the century of the week for the Scarlet Knights today in Piscataway. The 3:30 kickoff vs. Pitt is for first place in the Big East.

Look, Rutgers while garnering a 3-1 record still has some issues. The kicking game isn't right just yet, though San San Te made the critical must have kicks last week at Syracuse. The running game is abysmal and QB Chas Dodd is still making some questionable decisions with the ball. Until the offense and special teams get it right the defense will have to carry Rutgers in conference play. The defense was stout last weekend to be sure. They'll have to hold Pitt to under 20 today we feel. Stopping Pitt's top notch RB Ray Graham would be a big starting point. Graham is already pushing 800 yards rushing this season. If you limit Graham on first down and hold him to minimal rushing yards then Rutgers defense can turn up the heat on Pitt QB Tino Sunseri. Sunseri likes to dink and dunk his way up and down the field because he has a real interception problems throwing downfield. Stop the run and get a leg up not just int he game but in the conference race.

A big game today for Mohamed Sanu and the Scarlet Knights win it late.

Our fearless forecast:
Rutgers 24
Pitt 17

Rutgers football gameday!

Rutgers is in upstate New York to play the Orange from Syracuse in the first Big East conference game (wait, Johnny didn't check the sports pages today, is the Big East still a functioning conference this week?) for both teams.

Simply today, can Rutgers run the ball? If they can't all the bad vibes of playing in the Carrierdome come home to roost: rowdy crowds, obnoxious fans, girls with mustaches, and 'Cuse QB Ryan Nassib having success passing.

Again, a winnable game for the Scarlet Knights even against a team they have a horrid all-time record against. Today we start to find out what Rutgers is this season, a middling .500 club or a late December bowl team.

Until they lose we'll pick the second choice, always the optimists.

Fearless forecast:
Rutgers 27
Syracuse 24

Rutgers is picked to finish 5th in the Big East by the media

The media who cover Big East football have slotted Rutgers 5th in the conference this upcoming year, giving the nod to Pitt as the team expected to finish first. Here is the breakdown on Rutgers for the upcoming season:

RUTGERS (9-4, 3-4)
The Breakdown: The Scarlet Knights could potentially have one of the best offenses in the league this season, with sophomores Tom Savage at QB and Mohamed Sanu at the Wildcat position. The only potential stumbling block? The offensive line. Between Anthony Davis (NFL), Ryan Blaszczyk and Kevin Haslam (graduation), the Scarlet Knights have to hope the replacements can keep Savage upright.

Even tough it's swampy and 90º right now, fall is on the way...

Rutgers football gameday!

It is not often a team plays a conference game to start the season. It's even more rare that the conference game is such a huge game and will have such an impact on the season going forward. Such is the case with Rutgers at home today vs Big East rival Cincinnati. Cincinnati is picked by many to win the Big East, but with a win today, suddenly Rutgers and their vaunted defense leaps into the favorite position.

A lot of people are saying the key to the Scarlet Knight's season is how do they replace the offense provided by departed starters QB Mike Teel and WR Kenny Britt. The 3400 yards plus that Teel threw for along with his 25 TD's don't just replace themselves. For as great a receiver Britt was he only caught 7 of those 25. Johnny thinks the key is how well new QB's Dom Natale and Jabu Lovelace redistribute that offense. Do these passes go to tight ends? Are the running backs more involved in the passing game? Another thing that will need to improve is the running game. Sooner or later your running game has to win a couple games for you. It must control tempo some Saturdays and must be able to bleed the clock on other Saturdays. Rutgers, if they have sights on a Big East title will HAVE to run better than they did last season. No Kordell Young early this year, that hurts.

If the defense is as good as advertised things are looking good. Head Coach Greg Schiano's front seven is as good as it's ever been at Rutgers. LB Ryan D'Imperio will be expected to lead the charges all season long and will have a GREAT first test in Cincinnati QB Tony Pike. It'll be a great cat and mouse game this afternoon between those two. The defense may have to pick up the offense at points early this season, this would be one of those days. Not lot of offenses come out in mid-season form in week one unless you're USC playing San Jose St. Here's hoping Rutgers employs a HAM defense this year; Hostile-Agile-Mobile.

Rutgers has a dream schedule this year. They get Cincy, Pitt, South Florida, and West Virginia at home. The league road games against the bottom feeders in Syracuse, Louisville and UConn. If Rutgers wants to sit at the adult table this Thanksgiving, meaning being taken SERIOUSLY as a BCS team, they HAVE to make hay at home. There is no reason they can't run the table in Piscataway this year.

Now, Johnny knows the Star-Ledger wants you to follow the game over there and comment over there but the Jersey City Desk offers you the ability to do something here you can't do on nj.com, swear. Fell free to let 'er rip in comments. If the refs make a bad call, say it don't spray it. If Schiano makes a questionable play call, have at it. You'll not be censored here.

Johnny hates Cincnnati head Coach Brian Kelly. He was a real dickhead at Central Michigan University, something Johnny knows something about. He acted like a perfect ass in his dealings with other MAC coaches. Johnny can't imagine he's improved that much and become a human being. Reason enough to root against the Bearcats we think.

Prediction:
Rutgers 24
Cincinnati 20

Johnny's first Fearless Pigskin Forecast pertaining to the Big East Conference

We all know from reading this blog Johnny's a Big Ten/MAC guy, it just goes with where you grow up. But, he does love all college football and is ordering his college football package for the teevee tomorrow. He'll do a proper Rutgers breakdown later this week but here now is the Jersey City Desk Big East prediction for the 2009 season.

1. Cincinnati
2. West Virginia
3. Pittsburgh
4. Rutgers
5. South Florida
6. Connecticut
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse


Rutgers could go as high as third but playing patsies on their schedule doesn't really prep you for bigger conference games.

Hey hey Rutgers football fans, a LIMITED number of season tickets will go on sale tomorrow

Rutgers says they have a 90% renewal rate for season tickets BUT since they have expanded the stadium they will offer season tickets starting tomorrow. Tickets are on sale as of 8:30 am at ScarletKnights.com or by calling the Rutgers Ticket Office at 1-866-445-GORU.

The prices for this Big East football feast are as follows:
Season tickets are $350 for sections 101 and 109 in addition to upper deck seating. End zone seating for sections 110 through 121 are $280 for the year.

That's a lot of Rutgers football for the money. Rutgers opens at home Monday September 7th at 4 pm in a nationally televised game vs Cincy-nutty.

Here's the Rutgers home schedule if you're still hemming and hawing over whether you should buy seats or not (OK the Howard and Florida International games should be free of charge, we'll admit that).

September 7 Cincinnati
September 12 Howard
September 19 Florida International
October 3 Texas Southern
October 16 Pittsburgh
November 12 South Florida
December 5 West Virginia