PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL PREVIEW

December 29, 2008


Two college football teams left for dead at one point earier this season will meet this afternoon in Birmingham (AL) for the Papajohns.com at 3 PM. The match-up of Big East and ACC is a common theme this year's NCAA Bowl games as West Virginia met North Carolina in the Meineke Bowl and Cincinnati will also meet Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Big East will look to go 2-0 in these games today after the Mountaineers beat UNC, 31-30, on Saturday.

Rutgers started off the season 1-5 and looked pathetic in doing so. However, six wins in a row later, RU was finishing second in the Big East and 7-5 on the season.

The key in the turnaround was quarterback Mike Teel, who rebounded from a poor start that had many calling for him to be benched. Teel threw 20 touchdowns and for 1,737 yards in the last five games. In their season finale 63-14 win over Louisville, Teel connectec for 7 touchdown passes.

Back in Octoeber, North Carolina State also looked like a team headed nowhere. The Wolfpack were 2-6 and 0-4 in the ACC. They have won four games in a row, including their season finale over Miami, 38-28, to become bowl eligible and get the match-up with the Scarlet Knight.

Current NCAA football odds list the Scarlet Knight at 6 1/2 point favorites in tonight's match-up. Look for Rutgers to continue their season turn-around and come up victorious in the Papajohns.com bowl tonight.

Prediction:

Rutgers 37
NC State 28

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW GAME #10: RUTGERS

November 15, 2008


The Rutgers Scarlet Knight put their three game win streak on the line Saturday at high noon when they travel to South Florida for a Big East showdown. The Bulls, on the other hand, look to stop their slide as they have lost three of four and right their season.

Rutgers started slowly last week, falling behind Syracuse 14-0, but rallied and dominated the Orange the rest of the way to win going away, 35-17. After scoring just 79 points in their first six games against Division 1-A opponents, RU has racked up 89 points in their last two games (54 against Pitt, 35 against SU) and find themselves at 3-2 in the Big East and 4-5 overall.

Quarterback Mike Teel has been the catalyst of the turnaround, throwing for 637 yards and nine touchdowns in the two games and his improved efficiency has helped running back Kordell Young find more room. Young gained 143 yards last week against Syracuse.

The Bulls will be glad to be home after two road losses against Cincinnati and Louisville, but the season is slipping away and Matt Groethe really struggled against the Bearcats, completing just 13 of 31 and being intercepted three times.

Both teams have their sights set on the college bowls and need to finish strong. The current NCAA Football Odds have South Florida as an 8 1/2-point favorite, which seems awfully high with the way the Bulls have been struggling. Look for a tight contest that could come down to the foot of a kicker.

Prediction:

South Florida 27
Rutgers 24

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #9 RUTGERS

November 7, 2008


As improbable as it sounded just a few short weeks ago, the Rutgers football team is working on playing themselves into bowl contention. With their remaining schedule, having to win at least three of four to get eligible is not an improbable propisition, in fact, I would almost Bet on Rutgers to do it.

After a 1-5 start where they did not earn a win against a single 1-A football program, Rutgers has turned the ship around with an ugly 12-10 home win over UConn and a statment road win at Pittsburgh in which they scored 54 points on the Panthers. How remarkable was that outburst? In the previous six games against 1-A opponents, RU averaged a pathetic 13 points a game!

Syracuse also enters the game in a positive move. The Orange matched their conference win total of 2006 and 2007 last week when they upset Louisville in the Carrier Dome, 28-21, earning their first Big East win of 2008. It was also their first win against a 1-A club this year.

The latest college football odds indicate Rutgers as a 14 1/2 point favorite. Pittsburgh-explosion aside, that is a lot of points for a team that has tremendous trouble scoring. Syracuse has been playing a little better under Greg Robinson lately and they should be able to keep the game from getting out of control. Both teams will look to run the ball, so this should be a rather low scoring affair.

Prediction:

Rutgers 21
Syracuse 13

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #8 RUTGERS

October 24, 2008


The Rutgers Scarlet Knights finalled cracked the win acolumn against a Division 1-A opponent last weekend witn a 12-10 upset win over UConn at home. Now they will go for two in a row when they travel to meet Pittsburgh, a team they have had some good luck with of late.

The Panthers continued their impressive run by blitzing through Navy last weekend for a 42-21 win. The victory was the Panthers' 5th in a row after a season opening loss to Bowling Green.

While Walt Harris had little trouble versus Rutgers, Dave Wannstedt has not had similar luck against the Scarlet Knights. Pitt is 0-3 against RU since Wannstedt took over and will look to ride star running back LeSean McCoy to a win to break that streak.

The oddsmakers certainly believe in Pitt as current NCAA Football Lines have the Panthers as a 10 1/2 point favorite.

Pittsburgh is pretty much middle of the road in most offensive categories, but the play of McCoy has liften them in recent weeks. The sophomore running back has gained 447 yards in the last three games, runnign for an average of 6 yards a carry on 76 attempts. All three games resulted in road wins for Pitt.

Rutgers comes into the game with one of the worst offensives in Divison 1-A and the solid Pitt defense should continue to make life miserable for their guests on Saturday. The graduation of Ray Rice has hit Greg Schiano's club hard and shoddy play at quarterback has exasperated the problem. It has certainly been No Rice = No Dice for RU Football this season.

That said, 10 1/2 points is a lot of points for the Panthers to cover. Rutgers will look to take advantage of some expected poor weather and a slippery Heinz Field turf to keep this game close, but Pitt should be able to earn win #6 in a row.

Prediction:

Pittsburgh 20
Rutgers 12

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #7 RUTGERS

October 17, 2008


Connecticut and Rutgers might be on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to records, with the Huskies at 5-1 and the Scarlet Knights at 1-5, they do have one thing in common, both have been blitzed by North Carolina this season. RU lost to the Tar Heels 44-12 back on September 11th while UConn fell to UNC in their last outing, 38-12, on October 4th.

Last year, Ray Rice was the engine that made the Scarlet Knight's train go, this year, however, No Rice has Meant No Dice for RU Football as their offense has been awful to date, scoring no more than 21 points agains Division 1-A foes. Their lone win, a 38-0 trouncing of Morgan State, really means little as Greg Schiano is watching the shine dim very quickly from his coaching star.

What UConn has this season is their own version of Ray Rice as running back Donald Brown continues to pile up astronomical rushing totals despite not much backing from the passing attack. Brown has rushed 179 times for 1,067 yards (6.0 yds/carry) and 12 touchdowns in six games. He also leads the team with 14 receptions on the year. UConn will continue to ride Brown as far as he can carry them and do not expect anything different on the road this weekend.

College Football Odds currently have Rutgers as a 1 1/2 point underdog on their home field in this match-up. Are the Scarlet Knights ready to turn the tide on their season and make some noise in the Big East...expect another tight game, but so far, RU has not shown they can win this kind of game this year, until they prove otherwise, don't count on it.


Prediction:

Connecticut 23
Rutgers 20

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #6 RUTGERS

October 9, 2008


The Cincinnati Bearcats open their Big East schedule this weekend when they host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the current college football lines have made the Bearcats 7 1/2 point favorites in this contest.

Cincinnati enters the contest with a 4-1 record with a solid air attack led by QB's Dustin Grutza and Tony Pike, whoever is healthier, and a good rush defense.

Rutgers has been a major dissapointment and is off to a 1-4 start, with their lone winning coming against Morgan State. The Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily scoring points and that is likely to continue on the road this weekend.

While I still think there is some hope for RU, I think this wil lbe a tough game, fairly low scoring, and close. Rutgers has continually shot themselves in the foot this season and come up short, if they can limit the turnovers, they will have a shot to win this game late, but until they prove they can, expect them to fall short once again.


Prediction:

Cincinnati 23
Rutgers 20

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #4 RUTGERS

September 26, 2008


Rutgers will look to take out some frustrations from a 0-3 start on a sacrificial lamb, Morgan State, this weekend on their home field. Their latest disaster saw the Scarlet Knights lost at Navy 23-21 and left RU emotionally spent and their QB, Mike Teel, swatting at teammates trying to encourange him.

The season is getting out of control quickly for Mike Schiano and his squad, so Morgan State comes to town at precisely the right time. Even though Morgan State sits at 2-1 on the young season, they have yet to play any major conference school and their loss cam eto Towson, 21-16, on the road.

NCAA Football Lines currently show Rutgers as a 28 and a half point favorite. Look for there to be finally some smiles from the RU faithful this weekend as they run over, around and through Morgan State and take out some frustrations on the undermanned squad.


Prediction:

Rutgers 49
Morgan State 13

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: GAME #3 RUTGERS

September 19, 2008



Greg Schiano has resisted pressing the panic button and will stick with quarterback Mike Teel after the Scarlet Knights have opened the season 0-2. Teel has just one touchdown and has been picked off five times in their first two games, a 24-7 loss to Fresno State and an embarrassing 44-12 loss to North Carolina on national television, both at home.

Making matters worse for RU has been the injury to running back Kordell Young, who was supposed to fill the large shoes of star Ray Rice who is now with the Baltimore Ravens. With Young shelved, the running game has not held its own, adding more pressure on the senior Teel, who has struggled.

After their opening home losses, Rutgers now hits the road for a date with the Navy Midshipmen in a must-win game. Navy comes into the contest at 1-2, dropping two straight on the road against Ball State (35-23) and Duke (41-31). Last season Navy lost at Rutgers, 41-24, but managed to beat Pittsburgh and Notre Dame on the road in earning a bowl bid.

Rutgers has the playmakers at WR to put up some points, Teel needs to deliver the ball to them. Navy is VERY prone to give up points (76 last two weeks) and last season they yielded 36 a game, so this should be a game that helps the RU offense get on track, but the Navy attack will definitely test the Scarlet Knights.

With the oddsmakers installing Rutgers as a road favorite of 6 and a half points, the play this weekend is to Bet on Rutgers to cover the points and come up with a MUCH needed first vistory of the 2008 season.

Prediction:

Rutgers 38
Navy 28

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BIG EAST FOOTBALL PREVIEW: RUTGERS GAME #2

September 10, 2008


The NBE Blogger probably did not put your sports book out of business with his 4-3 performance against the spread, but any weekend in the black is a good one!

On Thursday night, our college football weekend in the Big East kicks off early as Rutgers welcomes Butch Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels into New Jersey.

With Brett Favre under center for the Jets and Tom Brady going down for the Patriots, football fans in the NYC/NJ may be rushing to check the latest NFL Odds on their beloved J-E-T-S' chances at a Super Bowl run, but for one night, they can enjoy some college football.

After their season-opening 24-7 home loss at the hands of Fresno State, it looks like Rutgers has lost a lot of confidence from those setting the College Football Odds as they are just a 5-point home favorite for a nationally televised night game.

The Scarlet Knights have a very solid offensive core led by quarterback Mike Teel and wide receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood. Running back Kordell Young scored the Scarlet Knights' lone touchdown in the opener and rushed for 94 yards as he looks to replace Ray Rice in the backfield.

The problem for RU in the opener was stopping the run as they yielded 206 rushing yards to Fresno State. North Carolina will look to take advantage of that this weekend, but their ability to do so is in question. The Tar Heels opened their season with a win over McNeese State, 35-27. However, UNC was trailing in the third quarter and was out-gained in the game 391-384.

Rutgers will have to stop Brandon Tate, who caught four passes for 93 yards (including a 57 yard TD), ran three times for 106 yards (rest of the team had 57 yards on 26 carries) and also scored on an 82-yard punt return.

The rebuilding job at UNC continues under Butch Davis and look for Greg Schiano, who served as Davis' defensive coordinator for two seasons at Miami, and his Scarlet Knights to earn a nice bounce back win in this game and start to build towards the Big East portion of their schedule.


Prediction:

Rutgers 41
North Carolina 28

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