Rutgers football Gameday!

A beautiful late November day dawns for the Senior Day festivities in Piscatawy today and Rutgers, if you can believe this, still has something to play for at 4-7. If the Scarlet Knights win today vs the god-awful Maryland Terrapins then Rutgers at 5-7 COULD go to a bowl game. Division 1 football is seemingly void of, going into the last week of the regular season, enough 6 win teams to fill all the bowl games. The experts are saying a couple three 5-7 teams might sneak into a bowl game which right there tells you we have far too many bowl games.

Rutgers will be playing for the last time in front of head coach Kyle Flood who is expected to be fired as soon as Sunday along with Rutgers AD Julie Hermann. In Johnny's opinion both need to go for Rutgers to get back on track and in Hermann's case not just football. So yes, RU should come out and it's our guess they will beat Maryland who is already playing for an interim coach, and move to 5-7. Will RU get a bowl invite in which case? Other than it would give underclassmen another couple weeks of practice under their belts going into 2016 in Johnny's opinion 5-7 teams don't go to bowl games.

Fearless Forecast
Rutgers 24
Maryland 10

Rutgers football Gameday!

Well fans here we are, late late November and a season that was supposed to be a soul-crushing doormat trip through their first season ion the B1G actually has a huge opportunity. Rutgers is 6-5 and they NEED this win today and here's why.

Northwestern and Illinois are fighting to be bowl eligible at 6-6, one will today. With a huge upset over the Buckeyes (and they almost did last year) Michigan is 6-6. If Sparty beats Penn State today they will be 6-6. That is just too many 6-6 teams to ASSURE a bowl game for RU. Yes, 6-6 qualifies you but if you think a small bowl game is going to take Rutgers at 6-6 over Michigan and Penn State at 6-6 you're fooling yourself. Don't think the B1G itself would lobby for RU to not go over Michigan or PSU, B1G Commissioner Jim Delany is NOT your friend RU. The B1G look at 6-6 teams doesn't even begin to count all the other 6-6 teams out there. If the Knights want a payout this year they MUST win today.

7-4 Maryland awaits in The Noob Bowl. Maryland is a one TD favorite BUT this is going to have to be a program win for Rutgers. Most of Maryland's success has come away from Byrd Stadium on the road. Rutgers must dig deep, stick to their game plan and cinch a bowl game. We think Gary Nova will shine today.

For God and Country....and a bowl game

Fearless Forecast:
Rutgers 27
Maryland 25

Yep, Maryland's in and Rutgers will follow suit today

Just a quick update to yesterday's story -- Maryland did indeed agree to join the Big Ten starting in 2014 and Rutgers will follow suit today.

Rutgers can start on expanding football seating and building a new basketball arena. In the Big Ten you're only allowed to have a dump basketball arena if your name is Minnesota. In fact the great former head coach at Michigan State Jud Heathcote was asked how to improve Williams Arena in Minneapolis and his words were "Burn it to the ground."

Don't be THAT school Rutgers, get digging.

Your thoughts?

Rutgers and Maryland are set to join the Big Ten Conference word around the campfire has it

The Rutgers Board of Governors is set to meet this morning before the usual trustees meeting and everyone believes that the closed door part of the meeting agenda is the approval (or not) of the Scarlet Knights to pick up new playdates aka Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa and the rest. Also expected to make the decision to join the Big Ten is the University of Maryland as there are currently no turtle-styled mascots in the Big Ten yet.

The choice is clear for Rutgers -- the Big East is disintegrating yearly and the Big Ten is a top flight and fairly stable conference. Teams leave FOR the Big Ten, not from it. While in Maryland's case the ACC is more stable it still is experiencing turnover. This also gives the Big Ten something it has long wanted, an in to the east coast and NYC media markets.

Each new school brings something to the table athletically. Maryland is a traditional power in basketball while Rutgers would more than be holding their own in the Big Ten football this year. The part Rutgers fans wouldn't like much is the basketball aspect. The Scarlet Knight five have already lost to MAAC team St. Peters and the Big Ten has three teams in the top ten nationally. One you'd expect to be there, Michigan State simply shows up at the Final Four so often Tom Izzo gets frequent coaching miles. So Big Ten hoops will force Rutgers to step up their recruiting game which in the end is a good thing.

But how will the Big Ten rejigger their stupid "Leaders and Legends divisions"? See in the Big Ten you can't have and east and west or north and south conference, no they hired consultants who somehow landed on Leaders and Legends. It's silly yes, while former Nebraska head football coach Tom Osborne is a leader and a legend he never coached much in the Big Ten but the Big Ten Network still hypes him like he did. So where is Johnny's guess they land in the brave new 14 team Big TEN?

LEGENDS: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
LEADERS: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin

We'd guess Maryland to the Legends and Rutgers to the Leaders. We say Rutgers to the Leaders as no doubt the Big Ten will want some kind of Penn State-Rutgers rivalry, ie New Jersey vs. Pennsylvania. This of course is nothing but wild speculation at the current time. Rivalry games and crossover games will of course factor into scheduling/slotting.

Confused? Well take heart and enjoy the ride. Connecticut and Syracuse fans pay attention, you're next.

Joseph Moreira, welcome back to Jersey City, how was Maryland?

Joseph Moreira has been wanted by the police since he was accused of murdering Juan Batista in Jersey City Heights in 2005. Moreira had been living in Maryland under an assumed name but was ratted out in a tip to police and the US Marshals were able to locate and and arrest him.

Moreira is expected to make his first appearance in court later this week. We certainly hope he enjoyed his time in the greater Maryland area but we also don't think those Baltimore snow globes nor those plastic clicky teevees with the cool images you look at through the peep-hole are allowed in prison.