COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING – WILL RUTGERS RISE IN THE BIG TEN THIS SEASON? | OSB
College Football Betting – Will Rutgers Rise in the Big Ten This Season?
There may have been no tougher job last season in college football than for Greg Schiano to return to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and compete in the Big Ten, where, for football anyway, this school has looked like it’s been in way over its head.
BetOnline patrons remember when Schiano was at the school from 2001 to 2011, during which time he took them to six bowl games, finishing as high as 12th in the AP rankings in 2006.
But they were operating out of the Big East then. Now it’s the Big Ten they have to navigate, and it has been a whole new ballgame just getting off the ground.
In the two seasons prior to Schiano’s return, Rutgers lost all 18 of its conference games. But he was able to produce an opening game win over Michigan State, which was actually pretty remarkable considering there was no spring camp at all. Rutgers also posted Big Ten victories over Maryland and Purdue, and they went three overtime periods before losing to Michigan, so there is no doubt they are competitive again. And now they are trying to take the next step.
There are expert observers who are expecting a lot more out of them. That’s one of the reasons BetOnline has them as a huge favorite in Thursday night’s game against the Temple Owls, which begins at 6:30 PM ET in Piscataway:
Rutgers Scarlet Knights -14.5 (-115)
Temple Owls +14.5 (-105)
Over 51.5 points -120
Under 51.5 points +100
One of the reasons there is optimism in the Rutgers camp is that they have brought back ten starters on defense and all eleven on defense. And Schiano is known to be an outstanding recruiter, having sent a lot of players to the NFL.
This team already experienced some improvement on the offensive side of the ball last season, and that was a huge concern when Chris Ash was in charge. In the 2019 season, the Scarlet Knights scored 20 points or more in just three of their 12 games. Last year they did so in eight out of nine.
They will need solid play from quarterback Noah Vedral if they are to move into bowl territory. He’s well-traveled, having started his collegiate career at UCF, then moving with Scott Frost to Nebraska. With Rutgers last season, he threw nine touchdown passes and was intercepted eight times.
Rutgers is going to use a “running back by committee,” and Schiano is known as someone who likes to pound the ball on the ground. But this team hasn’t averaged more than four yards per carry in any of the last five years.
Covering this game won’t be an easy task for Rutgers; at Temple they are starting a new quarterback in D’Wan Harris, who actually started the season opener last year for Georgia. And now that head coach Rod Carey has had the opportunity for something close to a full roster, things will likely be better than the 1-6 slate they had in 2020.
The Owls return six starters on defense, and many of the newcomers are transfers from Power 5 schools. Rutgers could wind up making some noise, but perhaps not enough to lay this hefty number.
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