By Paul Sykes
So how does a 2-4 team become a favorite to beat a 5-1 team?
When that 5-1 football team is Rutgers. Like Louisville, they lost to North Carolina. Like Louisville, they’re doing some very good things defensively. Unlike U of L, they’re managing to put over 30 points a game on the board. And, they lead the nation in takeaways.
I’m not sure how much confidence one can build up by beating North Carolina Central, Ohio, Syracuse and Navy. The Pitt win was surprising. We’ve seen Rutgers do this before, though.
Fast start, floundering finale. Horse racing terminology would define Rutgers as ‘plenty of early speed, nothing left for the finish.’
Their finish starts tonight against a surly bunch of Cardinals. Ready to defend the pizza oven. Then, the Scarlet Knights must run the gauntlet of WVU, USF, CINCY with breaks against Army and Connecticut.
Bowl bound? You bet. If they can’t win one out of the next six, they should be dropped to D II level. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen tonight.