Rutgers Football a Big Ten Dark Horse Entering 2015

Most of the Big Ten has been up in arms since Rutgers was invited to join the conference. Many fans snickered at the Scarlet Knight program’s spotty record and tepid fanbase. Nobody expected Kyle Flood to lead the program into perhaps the most storied conference in college football and come out with eight victories, but a rout of North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl put an exclamation point on an up-and-down, but highly successful debut in the Big Ten for Rutgers.

Flood has spent his entire FBS coaching career at Rutgers, yet upon his promotion in 2012, few believed he could maintain the unprecedented success enjoyed by Greg Schiano at the school. However, under Flood’s regime, the Scarlet Knights have reached three-consecutive bowl games for the second time in program history and have shown that they can compete with the middle tier in the Big Ten.

Rutgers will miss senior QB Gary Nova, the all-time leader in TD passes at the school, but Flood will get star RB Paul James back from an ACL tear that ended his season in September. James, a rising senior, had a hot start to 2014 after a solid sophomore season in 2013 and shouXld be the workhorse who Flood and Nova missed down the stretch this year.

The Scarlet Knights had trouble competing with the upper crust of the Big Ten in 2014, suffering blowout losses to Ohio State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan State, but also stunned Michigan and nearly knocked off Penn State. After a season of experience against higher level competition and hostile environments, the 2015 Rutgers team should be battle-hardened and fearless entering these big showdown games moving forward. An incredible comeback against new “rival” Maryland to close the regular season and a blowout win over the Tar Heels in Detroit should create positive momentum in Piscataway and will pay dividends in recruiting.

Entering Year 2 as a Big Ten program, Rutgers showed the talent and fortitude to immediately jump the Big Ten’s cellar teams. Even if the Scarlet Knights never truly become “New York’s team,” Rutgers certainly has a chance to be a factor in the weakened Big Ten, whether just as a scrappy spoiler or, perhaps down the road, even a dangerous dark horse.