Rutgers Football: Breaking Down the Vegas Odds on Every Game
Rutgers Football: Breaking Down the Vegas Odds on Every Game
The Rutgers University football team will have to say goodbye to coach Greg Schiano as he joins the NFL to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012.
It will be up to new head coach Kyle Flood to lead the Scarlet Knights to victory as they hope to earn a bowl game and take home the Big East Conference title this season.
Thanks to the experts at Beyond the Bets in Las Vegas, the preseason point spreads for every single college football game are now available for us football junkies.
Things will change as game day approaches and the season progresses, but let's take a sneak peak at the Rutgers schedule and projected odds for 2012.
At Tulane Green Wave (Sept. 1)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -24
The Rutgers football team is hoping to get off on the right foot this season with what should be an easy victory in New Orleans.
This game should be a nice opener for new coach Kyle Flood and a great opportunity to get that first win under his belt.
Tulane is not an opponent to be taken lightly, however.
Two years ago, Rutgers lost 14-17 to the Green Wave at home in a game in which they were favored by 17 points.
The Scarlet Knights have had a knack for playing games a lot closer than they should in the past, so I'd ere on the side of taking the points with Tulane at home in this one.
Howard Bison (Sept. 8)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -39
This game should be an absolute blowout.
The Division 1-AA Howard Bisons will not give the Scarlet Knights any trouble in their second game of the season.
The last time that Rutgers was favored by over 35 points was in their opener last season against North Carolina Central, a fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference member.
Rutgers beat the NCC Eagles 48-0 and and covered their 43.5 point spread at home.
Even though Howard is slightly better than North Carolina Central, Rutgers could potentially still cover.
Flip a coin, because this game is a toss up with such a high spread.
At University of South Florida Bulls (Sept. 13)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers +4
Rutgers will head to South Florida for their first Big East Conference game of the year.
USF started last season at 4-0 before going on a serious slide to end the year on a 1-7 run.
Rutgers beat the Bulls by three at home last season in a game where they were favored by 2.5 points.
This year, I would expect the home team to emerge victorious in what will likely be a very close game.
Take South Florida giving four.
At Arkansas Razorbacks (Sept. 22)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers +14.5
Last year's Cotton Bowl Champions are going to give Rutgers a tough time when they venture south in September.
The Arkansas Razorbacks lost just twice last season, to powerhouses Alabama and LSU.
New coach John L. Smith is hoping to lead this team to an SEC title and the BCS Bowl Game, which will be played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL.
I would be shocked if Rutgers loses by fewer than two touchdowns on the road.
It's an easy choice: Take Arkansas giving up the points.
Connecticut Huskies (Oct. 6)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -13
The Connecticut Huskies will return to the middle of the Big East pack once again in 2012.
Coming off of a 5-7 season in 2011, the team will likely hover around the .500 mark once again this year.
They beat Rutgers late last season in a home game which favored Rutgers by 3.5 points.
Expect them to keep it relatively close this year as they venture to the banks of the ol' Raritan River to take on the Scarlet Knights away.
I'd take the Huskies getting 13 points.
Syracuse Orange (Oct. 13)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -12
Rutgers was able to beat the Syracuse Orange in an intense battle on the road last year by a final score of 19-16.
With the Orange taking a trip to New Jersey to face the Scarlet Knights in 2012, I would expect the Rutgers squad to finally be finding their stride right around this point in the season.
I like Rutgers winning by at least two touchdowns here and would take them dishing out 12 to a very beatable Syracuse team.
At Temple Owls (Oct. 20)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -10
The Temple Owls are coming off of a 9-4 season where the team ranked third in the nation with 13.9 points allowed per game.
Their passing game was not great, but they did have a top 20 rushing program in the nation.
Despite running back Benard Pierce's departure to the NFL, halfback Matt Brown will be back to pick up the slack in 2012.
Take Temple getting 10 points, and do not be shocked if they potentially win this one outright.
Kent State Golden Flashes (Oct. 27)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -24
Kent State will have no golden flash of hope as they head to the East Coast to take on the Scarlet Knights in 2012.
The team finished last season with a 5-7 overall record, going 4-4 in the extremely weak Mid-American Conference.
Rutgers will most definitely win this game.
Expect them to try to make a statement against the Golden Flashes at home, especially if they're coming off of a close game against Temple.
I'd take Rutgers giving up 24 points in a game that the Scarlet Knights should run away with.
Army Black Knights (Nov. 10)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers -18.5
Last year's matchup against Army took place in the Bronx at the new Yankee Stadium.
As you may recall, Rutgers pulled out a 27-12 victory against the Black Knights at the neutral location.
This year, Rutgers will need to come away with another major victory in order to gain some momentum as they come down the tough home stretch to finish out the season.
I like Rutgers coming out on top, but I don't particularly like them winning by 18.5 points.
Army +18.5 is looking like a nice option at this point.
At Cincinnati Bearcats (Nov. 17)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers +1
The Cincinnati Bearcats are one of the Big East teams that are consistently in the running for the conference title.
Last season, the Bearcats went 9-3 before taking down Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl by a score of 31-24.
Rutgers beat Cincinnati by a score of 20-3 last season in a home game that had the Scarlet Knights coming in at +3.
This year as they head on the road to Ohio, I'd expect it to be a bit closer and would even give the slight edge to the Bearcats.
Take a shot on the home team winning by a touchdown here and conceding some points to Rutgers.
At Pittsburgh Panthers (Nov. 24)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers +1.5
Pittsburgh is coming off of a very disappointing season where the team held a 6-6 record and lost to Southern Methodist in a 28-6 blowout at the Compass Bowl.
It will be a battle of two new coaches as Paul Chryst leaves his offensive coordinator duties at Wisconsin to take over the Panthers job.
Pittsburgh lost a few close games last year by less than a touchdown that could have easily turned their season into a 10-2 success.
Expect them to come out with a bit more discipline this year and to seek revenge on the Scarlet Knights at home.
Go with Pittsburgh giving up anything less than seven.
Louisville Cardinals (Nov. 29)
Las Vegas Spread: Rutgers +1
Louisville and Rutgers will forever be an epic rivalry ever since the days of Ray Rice and their epic battle in 2006, which Rutgers won on a late field goal.
This ESPN feature game could possibly determine the Big East title and will most definitely hurt one of these teams' dreams of a better bowl appearance.
Since Rutgers will be coming off of two tough games against Cincinnati and Pittsburgh on the road, you can expect them to play at the best of their abilities in front of their home crowd.
Rutgers is the team to take here, especially if they're getting any kind of points.