Rutgers Football

Today is Rutgers Day in the Big Ten, and if this is a decent and just world, it means Jim Delany is layering on the fake tan and adjusting his Snooki wig as we speak. Hey, it'd make the press conference entertaining.

It looks as if the Big Ten made a reach on this one, however—an overestimation of what Rutgers is going to bring to the conference and its network in terms of new eyeballs.

First of all, when one talks about Rutgers, it's impossible to discuss it without mentioning its close proximity to the great city of New York...and all its cable subscribers. That sounds like a positive, right?

It ain't.

When the first and best thing you can say about an athletic program is that it's close to a city, you're already talking about circumstance instead of what the athletic program is accomplishing. And the reality is that even though Rutgers is right there on the east coast, the east coast doesn't really care about Rutgers.

Rutgers' football stadium has a capacity of 52,454. That's less than half of Michigan Stadium or Beaver Stadium, and it's barely more than half of Ohio Stadium. Call it the Little House.

Oh, but surely with such a small seating capacity—behind only Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium—surely Rutgers, with its proximity to multiple metropolises (metropoli? no? fine), can fill those 52,454 seats, right? Especially in the midst of a special, Big East-leading 9-1 season?

Guess again. Rutgers hasn't sold out a game yet this season, and the average attendance has been 48,466 in Rutgers' five home games. Maybe the sellouts happen when the likes of Michigan and Ohio State start coming to town. That'll only be because schools like that are bringing their Big Ten-sized fanbases.

Moreover, Rutgers is not a nascent university. It's been right there in Piscataway, right near New York and Philadelphia, for longer than there's been a United States—it was established in 1766. It has been in the Big East for over 20 years (a charter football program in the conference), alongside several other nearby schools.

The Big East's football presence never "cashed in on" New York. It made something of a dent there in basketball, thanks to the membership of St. John's and smartly hosting the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden. Yep—two things that aren't Rutgers.

The Big Ten doesn't have St. John's. It won't have access to Madison Square Garden until the Big East relinquishes it. All those nearby basketball schools that have helped accustom New York to Big East athletics? The Big Ten doesn't have those.

All the Big Ten did was add the arguably worst basketball program in the Big East. Rutgers hasn't gone to the NCAA tournament since joining the conference (though it did go the year prior, in 1991). Rutgers also hasn't even had a winning season overall since 2006—that's also the last year it lost fewer than 10 games in conference play.

And college football? In New York? Fuhgeddaboudit. New York is such an NFL city, it has two franchises. New York's not going to start caring about Rutgers now that it's in the same conference as Michigan and Ohio State—to say nothing of ho-hum Midwestern programs like Illinois and Indiana.

No, Big East football never "cashed in on" New York because that's impossible. And even if it were possible, Rutgers (we talkin' about Rutgers?!) isn't going to be the program that makes it happen.

Maybe Jim Delany has more plans to expand in the northeast. One would hope so. As it stands right now, all he has as a foothold is Rutgers, which means he really doesn't have much.

Playing in the Big East helped Rutgers' basketball team earn respect year in and year out, but its football team is overlooked for competing amongst the same schools.

The Big East is a basketball conference. There's nothing wrong with that, but if the Scarlet Knights ever want to be viewed as a legitimate presence in the college football world, moving to a stronger conference is necessary.

And it looks like that's exactly what they're going to do.

According to ESPN's Brett McMurphy and Dana O'Neil, Rutgers is expected to announce itself as the 14th member of the Big Ten on Tuesday, one day after Maryland announces itself as the 13th member.

The Scarlet Knights will struggle on the gridiron at first. The Big Ten is experiencing a down year, and it's not the SEC in terms of competition, but it's still a step up from the gridiron play in the Big East.

It will have its benefits, though, especially in the long run.

Recruiting is going to improve. With increased exposure, more high school prospects are going to see this team play.  More games on television, against better teams, will make the Rutgers program more marketable.

It will also impact the team's standing in the BCS. Big Ten teams have gained a reputation for falling short against teams from other conferences in BCS bowl games, but that doesn't stop them from getting there.

Big East teams have to work very hard to get there. Louisville was 9-0 before losing to Syracuse last week, but only climbed to No. 9 in the BCS polls. Undefeated teams from other conferences would absolutely climb higher, and they have.

Rutgers may struggle to compete at first, but the cupboard won't be bare either. Running backs Jawan Jamison and Savon Huggins could still be around, as could quarterback Gary Nova. With the program's success this year, recruiting should help itself for now.

Moving to the Big Ten makes sense on all levels for this team.

Exposure equals recruits. Competition equals respect. Rutgers needs both of those things if it wants to take its football program to the next level.

Rutgers will follow Maryland's path to the Big Ten Conference and is set to announce the move on Tuesday, according to ESPN college football reporter Brett McMurphy on Twitter:

Rutgers will announce move to Big Ten on Tuesday, sources told @espn

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 19, 2012

It was reported by McMurphy and Dana O'Neil on Monday that Maryland will begin competing in the Big Ten as soon as the 2014-15 academic year, which will will likely be the same for Rutgers.

UPDATE: Monday, November 19 at 2:15 p.m. ET by Ben Chodos

ESPN's Brett McMurphy shed light on what Rutgers' road to the Big Ten title game will look like once they join the conference. 

McMurphy reported via Twitter how the divisions will be shaken up for the 2014-15 season:

Maryland prez tells regents MD, RU in Leaders Division w/OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, Purdue & Indiana. Illinois moves to Legends

— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 19, 2012

The Scarlet Knights will face stiff competition in the Leaders Division, providing new challenges for Kyle Flood and the program. 

---End of Update---

Rutgers will leave the Big East Conference, which it has been a member of since 1991. The Scarlet Knights joined the conference two decades ago for football only up until 1995, when the university joined the Big East in all sports.

The Big Ten will now have 14 schools, while the ACC and Big East will now have to look to add replacements.

Rutgers' football program ranked 18th in the BCS standings. It is 9-1 overall and 5-0 in the Big East this season and is on pace to win its first ever Big East Conference title. Ironically, it could be their first and last after agreeing to join the loaded Big Ten.

The Scarlet Knights' men's basketball team is off to a 2-1 start this season, but has never won the Big East since joining in 1995. Rutgers' women's basketball team nearly won an NCAA championship in 2007, losing to Tennessee in the National Championship Game. 

Keep it right here for more information on Rutgers' status as it becomes available.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Rutgers is in serious talks to join the Big Ten conference. If these talks progress, it would be a great move for the school.

ESPN's Andy Katz, Dana O'Neil and Brett McMurphy all contributed to a story saying that the school would be part of a package deal with Maryland if the school decides to make the change.

If Maryland goes from the ACC to the Big Ten, Rutgers of the Big East is expected to follow suit. The addition of Maryland and Rutgers would give the Big Ten 14 members as the league gears toward negotiations on a new media rights deal when its first-tier rights expire in 2017.

Scarlet Nation confirmed these stories from the side of the Big East school.

We now have confirmation that #Rutgers #rfootball is in talks with the Big 10 from multiple sources.

— ScarletNation.com (@rivalsnewjersey) November 17, 2012

If it indeed happens, this move would bring a lot of positives to the program. 

Just like most other things in this world, the biggest factor is money. According to Stu Durando of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, each Big Ten school earned $24.6 million in shared revenue last season. This would be a big upgrade for the team's finances. 

This type of money would help provide players with upgraded facilities, which would make the team better with recruiting and overall morale.

In addition to that, this move helps recruiting with increased national exposure. The Big Ten Network adds to the games already on ESPN to create a solid amount of games on national television.

Almost every high school player wants to be seen by as many people as possible, and they would love the chance to play for a team that gives them that opportunity.

The allure of playing against the likes of Michigan and Ohio State instead of Temple and South Florida will make a big difference to these young kids as well. These opponents are also certain to make a difference in attendance. 

There are disadvantages to the move, however.

First, the chance to win the conference and play in a BCS game will be significantly more difficult. However, teams in any sport should not make a decision towards the path of least resistance. They should challenge themselves instead of taking the easy way out.

The other problem is geography. With most teams far away, travel arrangements become much more difficult, especially in the other sports. However, with Boise State, San Diego State and Houston entering the Big East, that problem is unavoidable.

Rutgers will have to wait on Maryland to make the decision in order to become a package deal. However, fans should be excited about the opportunity and embrace the move if it eventually happens. 

Follow @TheRobGoldberg

Realignment is nothing new in college football and it has actually become somewhat commonplace over the last few seasons. Now, reports have surfaced that the Big Ten is in serious talks to bring both Maryland and Rutgers to the conference.

The Big Ten isn't the nation's premier conference, but it certainly is in the top tier with history-rich schools such as Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska. If the moves are completed, the league will have 14 members.

The late Joe Paterno said in a 2011 press conference, "Why don’t we take a look at Rutgers and take a look at somebody that we can bring in from the east so that the Big Ten doesn’t end in State College?”

Now it looks like Paterno's vision may be coming true, but is it really a good move for the conference? It’s a dream scenario for Rutgers, which has feared it would end up on the outside looking in as the college landscape shifted.

Rutgers is located about 40 miles from Manhattan, but it seems unlikely that the university would help the Big Ten tap into the monster that is the New York market. How many people in New York City truly care about Rutgers?

When Rutgers wins, quite a bit. During Rutgers' Cinderella football season in 2006, its game against No. 3 Louisville on ESPN drew huge ratings in the New York market and the Empire State Building was lit up in scarlet.

The Scarlet Knights are currently ranked No. 21 in the most recent AP poll but have not played a very challenging schedule and still have two tough games left against Pittsburgh and Louisville. If Rutgers was to make the move to the Big Ten there would not be a lot, if any, easy wins. The Scarlet Knights could very well go back to being a doormat team, albeit in a much better conference.

2006 was the peak of Rutgers popularity this millennium. Since then they have toiled in mediocrity and obscurity. How many busy metropolitan citizens will get behind an average (at best) team that they have no real link to?

Rutgers is making a very serious run to becoming a respectable and legitimate program in the country, but they just do not have the weight of a Nebraska or Penn State to deal with on an annual basis. Executives at ESPN would have to be crazy to think that adding Rutgers and Maryland would add a tremendous amount of value to a TV deal.

Dan Wetzel at Yahoo! Sports said it best:

Still, the money from potentially being able to jam the Big Ten Network into the home of every cable subscriber in each state (combined population: 14.6 million) is significant. It also allows the league to extend some reach into major Eastern media markets such as Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and even New York City. That said, the Big Ten added the Terrapins and Scarlet Knights, not the Giants, Jets, Eagles, Ravens and Redskins. College football just isn't that big of a deal.

While the Big Ten may not take over the Big Apple, the conference does gain a foothold in two new, large markets by bringing in Rutgers and Maryland. One fact lost in the New York City talk is that New Jersey itself is a huge market. New Jersey has nine million people who live there and could be a tremendous asset on its own.

The expansion is not official and it could all fall apart before all is said and done. There are still exit fees, negotiations and a variety of other roadblocks that could hang up the move.

If Rutgers is announced as the newest member of the Big Ten, don't expect the people of New York City to flock to the streets in their scarlet sweaters and rejoice the move.

Really, they just don't care that much.

The Rutgers football program is obviously headed in the right direction as they continue pursuit of joining the Big Ten conference.

According to Chip Patterson of CBS Sports, both Rutgers and Maryland are in serious talks with the Big Ten about adding another chapter to the never-ending saga of conference realignment.

This move is a very easy one for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers has slowly moved up in football prowess in their current conference, the Big East, and have shown that they can succeed anywhere they go.

The Big East isn't exactly supreme when it comes to college football. In fact, they've receded incredibly in the past few seasons and have even been counted out as an automatic BCS qualifier in the new format set to take effect in the coming seasons.

For programs who put football at a premium over basketball, it's become imminent that the Big East simply isn't the place to be. The earlier that Rutgers can exit, the better.

While the Big Ten isn't exactly hyped as the nation's premier conference, it certainly is in the top tier and with teams such as Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska, there'll never be a time when football isn't a focal point of the B1G.

Teams with their focal points in football, such as West Virginia and TCU, have already left the Big East for greener pastures and were able to negotiate an exit strategy with the struggling conference. 

Rutgers may not be the best team in the Big East year in and year out, but they've proven in 2012 that they are the cream of the crop this season. That makes this year the perfect time to gain some notoriety and convince a conference like the Big Ten that they're worthy of being added.

The geographical standpoint doesn't hurt, either. While Rutgers is in New Jersey, Big East country, they're still in great proximity to many Big Ten teams and would fit right in.

The Rutgers athletic program is headed in the right direction with on-field performances, and a possible move to the Big Ten would only solidify that fact.

Steven is a Breaking News Team writer for Bleacher Report

Follow @steventerrycook

The Scarlet Knights have never won their first five games in Big East play. They had the opportunity to do so twice previously in school history, but both times lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats, in Cincinnati.

They’re also just 1-6-1 playing in Cincinnati all-time, with the lone win coming in 1987.

All Rutgers has to do in order to solidify itself in a BCS bowl game is to win its remaining conference games against Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and then Louisville in its regular season finale.

Easier said than done.

This week is the toughest challenge of all for the Scarlet Knights—one that will put Louisville back into the driver's seat for the conference’s title and automatic BCS berth. It’ll also give new life to the Bearcats, who would be guaranteed a share of the championship if they win their remaining games.

History is definitely haunting them, and it will continue to haunt the Scarlet Knights this week.

It isn’t just the history behind the matchup that’s the toughest thing to overcome for Rutgers in this matchup, though. There’s also the sprained ankle of starting running back Jawan Jamison to think about.

Jamison is expected to play, but he will not be 100 percent.

Kyle Flood, Rutgers' head coach, said that as of Thursday, Jamison was at about a “75 percent” chance of playing, according to Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger.  He also said that if the game had been on Thursday, Jamison would not have played.

Cincinnati’s 26th-ranked rush defense allows fewer than 130 yards per game, which will pose a problem for the Scarlet Knights, especially if Jamison is unable to play.

If Jamison misses the game or is slowed by the injury, there will be too much pressure on the shoulders of sophomore quarterback Gary Nova.

Nova has played well this season, but his meltdown against Kent State on Oct. 27 led to the team’s first loss of the season. He threw six interceptions in the 35-23 shocker, practically handing the Golden Flashes the victory.

Senior Bearcats running back George Winn (980 yards and nine touchdowns) leads the Big East in rushing. Winn and Cincinnati’s 16th-ranked rush offense will be the biggest challenge so far for the Scarlet Knights' 17th-ranked rush defense, who have only surrendered five rushing touchdowns this season.

It’s unfortunate for the Scarlet Knights, but history has a tendency of repeating itself.

Follow @BigHoagowski

For much of this college football season, all the attention has been focused on Rutgers and Louisville in the Big East. But sitting quietly in a position to pass both of them and take the Big East title are the Cincinnati Bearcats, with an overall record of 7-2 and a 3-1 mark in the conference. Cincinnati's lone loss in the Big East was to previously undefeated Louisville, 34-31 in overtime.

Cincinnati will look to take advantage of the fact that Rutgers' starting running back sensation Jawan Jamison is questionable for the game due to an ankle injury sustained against Army last week. Like Jamison, offensive lineman Andre Civil is also questionable due the ankle injury he suffered against the Black Knights. These injuries compound an already difficult situation for the Scarlet Knights, who have been struggling on offense due to the hip injury to starting placekicker Kyle Federico.

While the Scarlet Knights appear to be limping towards the finish line, the Bearcats are purring like a finely tuned motor on offense, scoring no less than 23 points in any game this season. Cincinnati started the season 5-0 before recent losses to Toledo and Louisville, and are currently on a two-game winning streak.

Both teams are evenly matched, and while the Rutgers defense is highly touted, it will have all it can handle facing a Bearcats offense that averages nearly 227 yards per game on the ground. Leading rusher George Winn (980 yards, nine TDs) is complemented nicely by sophomore Ralph Abernathy (341 yards, three TDs), who is also a receiving threat out of the backfield (21 receptions, three TDs).

"At this point of the season you can say it's the biggest game I've ever played in," said Rutgers DL Scott Vallone (as quoted by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger on NJ.com).

With injuries hampering the offense, Savon Huggins—who has been struggling with injuries himself—will need to assume a larger role in the running game. The Knights may also employ some gadget plays such as end-arounds or reverses to establish a rushing presence.

The keys to the game for Rutgers (as always) will be defense and special teams, but the determining factor may well be Rutgers quarterback Gary Nova. If the Gary Nova that played against Arkansas shows up, the Knights can win the game. But if the Gary Nova who sprayed six interceptions around the field against Kent State comes to play against the Bearcats, Rutgers' title hopes will be in jeopardy.

"I think when you have a game in November with two teams that are at the top of the league it has a definite feel to it," said Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood after Wednesday's practice (as quoted by The Star-Ledger).

A Scarlet Knights victory would move them to 5-0 in the Big East, but a loss would drop them into a virtual three-way tie for first place in the conference. Vying for the top spot in the conference is familiar ground for the Bearcats, who have been involved in three of the last four Big East titles.

"Cincinnati has been a really good program for a long time and we feel like we've been a really good program for a long time now," said Flood (per The Star Ledger). "And I think when these two teams get together late in the year there's certainly excitement to it."

Game Time: Saturday, Nov. 17, 12pm, Nippert Stadium. Television: Big East Network

"It was a great feeling because this community has been through a lot these past two weeks. Just giving them something to cheer about is a great feeling. That's the reason we came up. We knew we were going to get a win for this community.“—Rutgers DB Duron Harmon referencing the devastation in New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy (as quoted by the Associated Press on ESPN.com).

Rutgers started slowly and looked rusty, and if not for their extraordinary special-teams play, the Scarlet Knights would have been trailing for much of Saturday's game against Army. Rutgers blocked two field goals to keep the game tied at 7-7 before scoring three unanswered touchdowns at the end of the fourth quarter to get past the Black Knights, 28-7.

Playing poorly and trailing 7-0, the Scarlet Knights utilized the halfback option pass with Jawan Jamison (who tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Coleman) to finally tie the game early in the second quarter. "I don't expect any game to be easy, especially against Army to be easy," offered Coleman (per the Associated Press). "They gave us their best shot."

Tied 7-7, the contest muddled on, and if not for the blocked field goals and three Army turnovers, the final outcome of this contest could have been different. Finally, the Scarlet Knights found their stride in the fourth quarter, as Brandon Coleman gave Rutgers the lead with his second TD catch of the game. Coleman was the leading RU receiver with three catches.

Jawan Jamison was held to under 100 yards, and could not manage a run over 14 yards in the game. His 90-yard effort against Army raises his season total to 953 yards.

Gary Nova had a good game statistically, going 14-of-17 for 123 yards and one touchdown. However, the team's inability to take control of the contest was due in large part to the inability to sustain drives. In addition to being 2-of-9 on third-down conversions, Rutgers committed seven penalties in the game.

Just over two minutes after Coleman's second TD, Savon Huggins found the end zone on a two-yard run to provide the Scarlet Knights with some breathing room with just 6:28 remaining in the game. It was then that the Rutgers defense salted the game away when Duron Harmon grabbed a midair fumble by Army's backup QB A.J. Schurr and raced 73 yards for the final score of the game.

"It goes from the miscues, to the fumbles, to the missed field goals and just not finishing," said starting QB Trent Steelman (per the Associated Press). "We pride ourselves on finishing every time we get the ball, and we didn't get it done today."

The victory helped to raise Rutgers to No. 22 in the BCS standings, and while a national title is out of its reach, the Big East Title is well within its grasp. Rutgers finishes against three straight conference foes, beginning with Cincinnati this weekend. After that, it travels to Pittsburgh on Nov. 24 before finishing against No. 19 Louisville on Nov. 29.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights may be flying under the national radar this November, but the rest of the Big East is well aware of their success and defensive dominance this season.

At 4-0, Kyle Flood's squad is three wins away from locking up its first ever Big East conference championship, which is hard to believe considering this is Flood's first season in charge of the program following the decade-long Greg Schiano era. 

So, what's in store for the finish?

Here we project how Rutgers will fare over the final stretch of the 2012 season. 

November 17: At Cincinnati 

Rutgers' next matchup will take place in Week 12 against Cincinnati on the road. Of course, the Bearcats have tons of incentive to win given the fact that they have just one loss in conference play. 

Still, it's hard to pick against the Knights on the road with that dominant defense. What Cincinnati does best on offense is run the football, and that plays right into Rutgers' strengths, with one of the country's most underrated and dominant front sevens. The Knights gave up just one touchdown to the nation's No. 1-ranked rushing attack in Army in their most recent win.

When you consider that Kyle Flood's stoppers have surrendered more than 15 points on just two occasions this season, it's extremely difficult to see the Bearcats scoring enough points to win, even at home.

Projection: Rutgers 24, Cincinnati 17

November 24: At Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh will have the advantage of an extra week to rest before its Week 13 showdown with Rutgers. However, don't expect that to make a difference for the Panthers, who will be in the midst of their third two-game losing skid of the season.

Cincinnati and Louisville both have wins over Pittsburgh already this year, and Rutgers has no choice but to join them if its going to contend for the conference title.

As far as the matchup is concerned, there isn't a whole lot about Pitt that should scare Rutgers. The Panthers are average on both sides of the ball, and will find offensive success very difficult to come by against Rutgers' stout defensive crew.

Projection: Rutgers 27, Pittsburgh 13

November 29: Vs. Louisville 

Rutgers' biggest game of the year will be its regular-season finale against Louisville.

Not only will the Scarlet Knights be coming off a short week, with this game being played on a Thursday night, but the Cardinals won their first nine games of 2012 and will still be in contention to win the conference on November 29.

Rutgers' most obvious challenge in this matchup will be defending Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for four quarters. The Knights boast a Top-Five scoring defense this fall, but the Cardinals' sophomore signal-caller has accounted for nearly 2,900 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air heading into Week 12. 

As it will be at home and on ESPN, I believe Rutgers will do just enough defensively to grind out a win over its Big East rival, finishing 7-0 in the conference and claiming its first title since joining the Big East in 1991. 

Projection: Rutgers 23, Louisville 20

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.