2011 Rutgers College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Football Preview: From 2006 to 2009, Rutgers posted at least eight victories in every season. However, the Scarlet Knights fell on hard times last season, finishing the year at 4-8 and missing out on a bowl game. The sudden and dramatic drop didn’t cost Greg Schiano his job, but he was forced to retool has offensive coaching staff. Whether or not the changes help will go a long way to determining if the Scarlet Knights make it back to a bowl game or continue to struggle in 2011-12.
Offensively, Rutgers was a mess last season, and it doesn’t look like that will change. Starting quarterback Tom Savage transferred, leaving the less experienced Chris Dodd to run the show. In addition, the Scarlet Knights have players out of position at multiple skill positions. Wide receivers are playing running back and converted quarterbacks are lining up at wide receiver. The confusion isn’t helped by an offensive line that is mediocre at best. Schiano is clearly trying to hide a lack of overall talent by getting his best players on the field. While that strategy isn’t necessarily a bad one, it does say something about the state of the Rutgers’ offense.
The Scarlet Knight defense wasn’t much better, especially in conference play. The Big East hasn’t exactly been the premier conference in college football the last few years, but opponents took advantage of the Rutgers defensive unit to pad their stats last year. The Cincinnati Bearcats shredded the Scarlet Knights for almost 700 yards of offense. The same defense also got torched by Louisville for 40 points. Keep in mind that the Cardinals ran a very conservative offense last season, barely topping 20 points a game.
Granted, injuries didn’t do the defensive unit any favors, but even at full strength, the Scarlet Knights don’t have the talent to be more than a middle of the pack unit. Seven different rushers topped the 100-yard mark last season, and a similar scenario could unfold in 2011-12. The top teams in the conference all figure to have prominent running attacks, which is likely bad news for Rutgers.
Based on the schedule, Rutgers has t take advantage of its out-of-conference schedule if it is going to have any kind of success. North Carolina figures to be the toughest opponent on a slate that includes home games against Ohio, Army and Navy. Once Big East play begins, the Scarlet Knights will be fighting an uphill battle against West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and South Florida. Rutgers matches up better in terms of talent against Louisville, Connecticut and Syracuse, but Schiano’s bunch will face all three opponents on the road.
At the end of the day, the Scarlet Knights aren’t as bad as they seemed during an injury-plagued 2010-11 campaign. That being said, they have definitely suffered a decline in talent from previous years. Rutgers has a favorable schedule outside of the Big East, and while the Scarlet Knights won’t be contenders in the conference, they should find a way to become bowl eligible, albeit just barely.
2011 Rutgers Scarlet Knights College Football Predictions: 6-6 Record
Preseason 2011 Rutgers NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: NA/Off the Board
Odds to Win 2011 Big East Champonship: +1200
You can BET on these lines or any other College Football Odds and Lines daily at SBG Global Sportsbook(upto 235% in Bonuses!)
2011 Rutgers Scarlet Knights College Football Schedule
Thu, Sep 1 North Carolina Central 7:30 pm —
Sat, Sep 10 at North Carolina 12:30 pm —
Sat, Sep 24 Ohio 2:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 1 at Syracuse 12:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 8 Pittsburgh TBA —
Sat, Oct 15 Navy TBA —
Fri, Oct 21 at Louisville 8:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 29 West Virginia TBA —
Sat, Nov 5 South Florida TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 at Army 3:30 pm —
Sat, Nov 19 Cincinnati TBA —
Sat, Nov 26 at Connecticut TBA —
Check out NSAwins.com’s official 2011 Big East Football Predictions, Odds and Picks article.
| 2 EASY STEPS to BET on 2011 College Football and Rutgers Scarlet Knights Big East Football Odds! STEP 1: CLICK HERE to OPEN SBG Global Sportsbook Account STEP 2: Deposit with Credit Card or Deposit by Check and get upto 235% in BONUSES upto $10,000 FREE added to your SBG Global Player Account Funds. |
Need Expert Winning College Football Picks? Be sure to check out NSAwins.com’s award-winning College Football Season Picks Packages for expert winners against the vegas spreads and totals in College Football this season including 2011 College Football Picks and Predictions to beat the vegas point spreads and totals!