Did the Big Ten just do Rutgers football a favor with the new schedule?
A schedule that was set-up to be murder’s row is now somewhat favorable for Rutgers football. The release of the Big Ten football schedule sees some revisions that are helpful for the Scarlet Knights.
With the addition of Oregon and Washington, the Big Ten’s originally released schedule (which came out in early June) had to be re-done. And it helps Rutgers out considerably.
Still a tough schedule, but definitely more balanced than the summer release, that’s for sure.
The original schedule was essentially removing Indiana (a team Rutgers has beaten the past two seasons) and replacing them with UCLA. So one of the easiest games on the schedule was swapped out for home game against a top-tier opponent (UCLA is receiving votes in the latest AP Poll).
The original schedule had Rutgers hosting Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and UCLA. The away games were Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota and Ohio State.
Hard to see Rutgers getting three Big Ten wins with that original lineup.
The new schedule is far more favorable for Rutgers and appears more favorable in terms of bowl eligibility:
2024 Big Ten Opponents
Home: Illinois
Home: Minnesota
Home: UCLA
Home: Washington
Home: Wisconsin
Away: Maryland
Away: Michigan State
Away: Nebraska
Away: USC
2025 Big Ten Opponents
Home: Iowa
Home: Maryland
Home: Oregon
Home: Penn State
Away: Illinois
Away: Minnesota
Away: Ohio State
Away: Purdue
Away: Washington
Teams will still play three non-conference games in the upcoming two seasons.
