Rutgers is not the worst team in the Big Ten.
That's probably as close to a compliment as Rutgers is ever going to get from me.
I'm not going to lie to you and tell you this Scarlet Knights team is the same brand of baked ass that Rutgers typically serves up each football season, but I'm also not going to tell you that it's particularly *good* either.
This is probably the best Rutgers team Ohio State has ever faced, but good lord that bar is just so damn low. The Buckeyes are a perfect 7-0 against the Scarlet Knights and have never scored fewer than 49 points in those contests, winning by an average score of about 50-10 in games that are typically out of hand by halftime.
So, while it's probably true that this is the best and most dangerous Rutgers team to ever play Ohio State, that's a lot like bragging about the highest grade on Bart Simpson's report card.
But I'll concede this – three years ago, I called Rutgers football a "disaster," a comment which elicited perhaps my favorite angry email I have ever received (did you know there are Rutgers football fans?). That is no longer true; Rutgers is now just a below-average football program.
Congrats on the accomplishment.
Word of the Day: Debase.
GAMEDAY MENU. This is an abnormally good Saturday. Enjoy.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis at Temple | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| #8 Arkansas at #2 Georgia | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| Western Michigan at Buffalo | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Texas at TCU | 12:00pm | ABC |
| Pitt at Georgia Tech | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| Tennessee at Missouri | 12:00pm | SECN |
| Duke at North Carolina | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Toledo at UMass | 12:00pm | FloFootball / NESN or NESN+ |
| Minnesota at Purdue | 12:00pm | BTN |
| #14 Michigan at Wisconsin | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Charlotte at Illinois | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Louisville at #24 Wake Forest | 12:30pm | RSN/ESPN3 |
| Appalachian State at Georgia State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| USC at Colorado | 2:00pm | P12N |
| ULM at #16 Coastal Carolina | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| #7 Cincinnati at #9 Notre Dame | 2:30pm | NBC |
| Eastern Michigan at NIU | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Ohio at Akron | 3:30pm | ESPN3 |
| Central Michigan at Miami (Ohio) | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UCF at Navy | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| #4 Oregon at Stanford | 3:30pm | ABC |
| Tulane at East Carolina | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Nevada at Boise State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Bowling Green at Kent State | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Tech at West Virginia | 3:30pm | ESPN2 |
| #6 Oklahoma at Kansas State | 3:30pm | FOX |
| #11 Ohio State at Rutgers | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Syracuse at Florida State | 3:30pm | ACCN |
| FIU at Florida Atlantic | 3:30pm | Stadium |
| #12 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama | 3:30pm | CBS |
| Troy at South Carolina | 3:30pm | SECN |
| USF at SMU | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| Arkansas State at Georgia Southern | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Army at Ball State | 5:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Washington State at California | 5:30pm | P12N |
| #10 Florida at Kentucky | 6:00pm | ESPN |
| Louisiana Tech at #23 NC State | 6:00pm | ACCNExtra/ESPN+ |
| UNLV at UTSA | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Miss at Rice | 6:30pm | ESPN3 |
| Air Force at New Mexico | 6:30pm | FS2 |
| Liberty at UAB | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Mississippi State at #15 Texas A&M | 7:00pm | SECN |
| Marshall at Middle Tennessee | 7:00pm | Stadium |
| #21 Baylor at #19 Oklahoma State | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Kansas at Iowa State | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| UConn at Vanderbilt | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| WKU at #17 Michigan State | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Boston College at #25 Clemson | 7:30pm | ACCN |
| Indiana at #4 Penn State | 7:30pm | ABC |
| Northwestern at Nebraska | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Louisiana at South Alabama | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Old Dominion at UTEP | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| #22 Auburn at LSU | 9:00pm | ESPN |
| Washington at Oregon State | 9:00pm | P12N |
| Arizona State at #20 UCLA | 10:30pm | FS1 |
| New Mexico State at San Jose State | 10:30pm | NBCSBA |
| #18 Fresno State at Hawaii | 11:00pm | CBSSN |
BACKYARD FOOTBALL. When Rutgers played Ohio State last year, it looked like the Scarlet Knights' offense was designed by a third-grader drawing plays in the dirt at recess.
But, I mean, it worked...
The Scarlet Knights attempted six trick plays in last year's game – a number that doesn't even include the general bullshit they tried to pull on pretty much every kickoff. Out of Rutgers' 27 points and 373 yards of total offense, 14 points and 107 yards came directly from trick plays.
Is @RFootball the best trick play team in the nation?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 8, 2020
It just used back-to-back trick plays, including a #B1GStandout, to score at Ohio State.
@AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/MbadOdi3QS
At this point we're surprised when @RFootball runs a standard, non-trick play.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 8, 2020
The creativity is electric, and this time it results in a punt return TD! pic.twitter.com/GOrmBajU3N
Honestly, I wasn't even mad. The plays were fun as hell and I could only tip my cap. But chances are high that I'll be throwing my laptop out a window if stuff like this starts to work again today.
Fool me once...
WINNERS. Dan went 3-2 in my place last week, which means we still haven't had a losing week yet this season.
Let's keep it rolling.
- Ohio State -15 against Rutgers. Ohio State is laying less than three scores against Rutgers. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
- Wisconsin -2 against Michigan. Is it still September? No? Oh, then Michigan's superpowers are gone. This game is going to suck to watch, but Wisconsin's built for this.
- Georgia vs. Arkansas under 48.5. I don't really see a scenario where there are a lot of points scored in this game. Both defenses are strong, and neither offense seems particularly interested in being explosive, especially against good teams.
- Kansas State +11.5 against Oklahoma. I just don't think Oklahoma is very good this year. The Sooners have been particularly disappointing on offense and I expect Kansas State to keep this one close.
- Oregon -7.5 against Stanford. I think Oregon is simply way better than any other team in the Pac-12, and that includes today at Stanford.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Empire State of Mind" by Jay Z.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. How drugs won the War on Drugs... The Mafia is now doing cybercrime... The family of man who 'died aged 127' claim he's the oldest person ever to have lived... Why you make better first impressions than you think... My bipolar mother's quest for relief with magic mushrooms... The chilling murder of a Chinese student on a U.S. campus, and why justice is elusive...
