And remember, this is in ONE year !
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#30 In The Country / 3rd Most Underrated
- Thread starter HeavenUniv.
- Start date
Number 30 out of 135 teams one year after the Flood/Ash disaster is fantastic ! 
Schiano needed to show the recruits that Rutgers is going to be competitive and with a little more talent Rutgers can win in the BIG and I think he showed. that.
I think it was the top 50 states for diners. Frankly, I'm disappointed New Jersey wasn't higher.
My guess was 10-20 years to win the B!G.. it is a tough job. I figured:
1- we'd have to be as good as 2006... and that maybe we can get there once in 7-8 years... so in 20 years we'd get about 3 shots at it.
2- coincidentally.. 1-2 of the B1G "name" teams would have to have down years and we'd have to beat the other...
3- we'd have to then beat the champion of the west...
Now.. it might happen the first time we have a 2006-type team.. but think of it.. it diddn't happen for us in 2006. We failed badly at Cinci and got robbed at WVU.. and, really, it should not have been that close at WVU.. we just failed.
But maybe Michigan's time in the sun is over. Maybe we need only hope for down years for Ohio State. Michigan's last share of the tile was 2004. Since 2005 Ohio State has had a share (and likely the main share) of the title 9 times. that's 9 of 15.. 60% of the time. But it seems to be streaky.
I think that means it is certainly possible with a very good team.. to win it. But the first time we have a great team.. and don't win it because OSU or someone is just better.. it is going to hurt.
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I don't have that long. Please reconsider a better outcome.
Doubt I do as well, average lifespan being what it is.
Well.. it was GS 5th year we went bowling.. we're ahead of that.. so let's say it takes 5 years to have a year like 2006.. relatively.. so maybe we have a shot at it in 5 years.. if not then.. maybe with Big Ten level recruiting we get another shot in another 4 years.. that's the best I can do for us.
Perhaps two chances in the next 9 years. We'd have to be very lucky. Wish you luck in both ways.. longevity and Rutgers Football.
Here's a bonus thought.. by then the playoff will be bigger.. and if we win the B1G that gives us a shot at the somewhat-less mythical national championship.
And another bonus thought.. imagine if we had TWO 2006 like seasons in a row... recruiting would have taken a PERMANENT jump. And maybe we even make enough money in donations and so on to buy a real coach when GS left.. or to retain him. If we do get to that point in 5 years.. maybe we get two years in a row like that. And we permanently boost our ability to compete. Then we may get many legit shots at the title fairly quickly.
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Rest of the league needs to get closer to Ohio State. Simple as that. But obviously it's not so simple. They'll have the top class in the league again this year. It's ridiculous Michigan isn't doing better. They made a disastrous hire with Rodriguez and have been struggling ever since. Harbag hasn't been the expected savior. He hasn't even recruited particularly well the past couple of years. Whether it's Covid or a culmination of a lot of other things, the league has been abysmal this year. OSU and Indiana (before Penix got hurt) have really been the only solid teams. Iowa has been playing better in recent weeks and might be better than the Penix-less Indiana.
you guys speak of steady progress, but this is not how I see our future. the top programs in every conference (and ND) have had too much of a head start building their brands, amassing the money to bring in the top coaches, continually upgrade to the best facilities and biggest stadiums and lure the best recruits.
We played better than expected in Schiano 2.0 in Year 1 but progress relative to the competition is never linear. Our progress would have to align with a simultaneous slide for the top dogs (3) in our division coupled with being better than the other 3 in the same year to ever win a division title. Did Indiana almost get there this year ? Yes. Almost. And it's been 50+ years since they got to the Rose Bowl...and the conference was easier back then. No PSU then, and they didn't even have to play Ohio State that year.
So any talk of expecting to win the division in 5 or 10 years is unrealistic. It's not equal competition. And not just for us....the deck is stacked against 75 % of P5 to win their divisions.
We played better than expected in Schiano 2.0 in Year 1 but progress relative to the competition is never linear. Our progress would have to align with a simultaneous slide for the top dogs (3) in our division coupled with being better than the other 3 in the same year to ever win a division title. Did Indiana almost get there this year ? Yes. Almost. And it's been 50+ years since they got to the Rose Bowl...and the conference was easier back then. No PSU then, and they didn't even have to play Ohio State that year.
So any talk of expecting to win the division in 5 or 10 years is unrealistic. It's not equal competition. And not just for us....the deck is stacked against 75 % of P5 to win their divisions.
Lol, I actually agree with you but why say it? A big part of sports is hope and faith. For fans, as Michael Lewis, once wrote, it’s for the rare moments when David’s beat Goliath and the inspiration derived from it.
anyway, don’t be a kill joy :)
Good post. Part of me wishes that if we had a roster of 4 years of GS recruiting this season, we could have had a dream year with Mich and PSU down. I hope that when everything falls into place, we don't face a powerhouse Ohio State and Michigan. In 2006, Louisville lost once (to us) and West Virginia was loaded and finished top 10. We had bad luck that way. I'll be rooting for Northwestern on Saturday.
hobbit
it seems many of the above posters assume this is a linear thing and that we will get to the top within 5-10 years. that is extremely unlikely to happen, even just once.
david v goliath is a binary thing. Doulglas beat Tyson once. But RU winning the division requires many different variables and improbable outcomes to all go our way at the same time.
so, sure I root for this to happen....but having faith in the outcome doesn't change the odds.
it seems many of the above posters assume this is a linear thing and that we will get to the top within 5-10 years. that is extremely unlikely to happen, even just once.
david v goliath is a binary thing. Doulglas beat Tyson once. But RU winning the division requires many different variables and improbable outcomes to all go our way at the same time.
so, sure I root for this to happen....but having faith in the outcome doesn't change the odds.
If we had a good running game at Northwestern this year (need Justin Jackson back for a year), I think we'd have an outside puncher's chance to take them. But the offense just isn't strong enough to exploit OSU's holes in the secondary, and we won't be able to contain their ridiculously quick wideouts forever. They'll get a ferocious rush on our QB unless we can get some semblance of a running game going. Basically hope we can keep it close. We scared them a little two years ago, but ended up with three of the starters in our secondary out by the third quarter, and they torched us late.
I agree that this would have been a good year for Rutgers to make hay in the East, but you haven't had enough years of Schiano coaching and recruiting just yet.
I know it's the West but - this is the second time in just (what?) three years that Northwestern (NORTHWESTERN!) has won their division. Granted, they'll likely lose the conference championship game but they can still lay claim to the division title. Northwestern was a joke not too long ago.
As for being a killjoy and all of the fine arguments made here, some of you are assuming givens instead of variables. For example, our fine conference can (and likely, eventually will) change. The current East-West alignment may change. The B1G might go through a conference re-shuffling .. because, ya' know .. of course. There may be a day where we're not playing OSU every year. Or Michigan. Or whatever. My point is that these things are possible. So, saying "never" (or, "it'll take decades") is just not true.
All that said, yes - I agree with the argument that, in the conference's current configuration, it will be very difficult to win our division. But, that's what we all get for being in the best conference in college football. If you want an easier path to conference championship glory, join the ACC. 😆
As for being a killjoy and all of the fine arguments made here, some of you are assuming givens instead of variables. For example, our fine conference can (and likely, eventually will) change. The current East-West alignment may change. The B1G might go through a conference re-shuffling .. because, ya' know .. of course. There may be a day where we're not playing OSU every year. Or Michigan. Or whatever. My point is that these things are possible. So, saying "never" (or, "it'll take decades") is just not true.
All that said, yes - I agree with the argument that, in the conference's current configuration, it will be very difficult to win our division. But, that's what we all get for being in the best conference in college football. If you want an easier path to conference championship glory, join the ACC. 😆
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I wonder if recruits and their parents are not confident that Harbaugh will stay the whole four years.
Hasn’t recruited well the last few years really? I ‘m watching BTN show and Michigan ( I am no J. Harbaugh fan) has the number 2 team in the B1G and number 11 team in country . I see he has recruited 2- 1-2-4 In the past few years. So even PSU can’t match that...
It is what it is but also have to keep in mind that this is the 2nd highest ranked class in our history. Pretty impressive after what Ash did to us. Going forward, I really can't see us falling out of the top 25 all too often.
Hey, we should be happy with it . Do you mean top 25 in recruiting or in top 25 in actual football ?
Former QB ironically can't properly find/develop a playmaking QB.
He was essentially a QB away from beating OSU not too long ago.
I'm a believer. True, progress is not linear, but sometimes you just have to be lucky at the right time. Sometimes, it just takes a good team team to be lucky enough to beat a great team. Yeah, the deck in the B1G East is stacked, but a few breaks in a few tight games can get you a shot at the ring (see NYG vs NE Pats). Percentages are definitely against GS but RU has a puncher's chance. Heck, I wasn't sure I'd ever see an RU MBB earn a Top 20 ranking this early in the season, let alone a Big Dance lock going into the B1G tourney, yet here we are. GS just has to build a team that will always be in games against any & all competition, not one that is almost guaranteed to win 99% the time like OSU or Bama.
Let’s hope that Coach Schiano and staff has continued success at the transfer portal, without more lineman heading out the door.
Linemen out the door ? We will be fine going forward . You should worry about Temple...🤡
Watched his team play much this year? I didn't see any young players on it that jumped out. Their secondary under the alleged defensive genius Don Brown was getting beat like a drum most of the year. I guarantee you every team that Northwestern finished ahead of the West this year and two years ago, with the possible exception of Illinois, has ranked ahead of NU in recruiting rankings, sometimes significantly, for the past several years. I would have loved a shot at Michigan this season. Hell, Rutgers gave them a great game and probably should have beat them. How have your recruiting rankings compared to theirs recently?
You can usually assume the bluebloods such as Alabama, Ohio State, and lately Clemson and a few others will have a top class every year. Once you get below the top 15 or so it becomes more or less a crapshoot. And when you're ranking classes in the 30-70 range, who really knows if 35 is better than 50? I'm not sure Michigan under Harbaugh is making the blueblood list like they used to. And they just got one of their highly ranked recruits this year, Brenden Jennings, flipped by Maryland.
So your point is? He can recruit because it’s Michigan... Give Greg that talent now and it would be much different than Greg’s first term.
I believe Schiano had this level of class when he bailed to Tampa. that was after Big East collapse and before Big Ten invite and he still managed that type of class. this is the floor for our classes moving forward
And now for Rutgers Signing Day The Sequel—aka The Transfer Portal !
