Something oddsmakers are factoring in more and more when setting lines and when sharp bettors are placing bets (at least in the NFL) is factoring in net rest advantage numbers. The gist of it is this:
"Net rest is the cumulative sum of individual game rest edges over the course of an entire season.
An example of net rest: this year the Patriots have for games with rest edges of +7, +3, +1 and +1 days of rest edge. But they do not play any games with a negative rest edge, when they would be at a disadvantage. As a result, the Patriots net rest edge for the 2024 season is +12 days (7+3+1+1)."
Even more simply, how many more days of rest do you have than your opponent leading into the game?
www.sharpfootballanalysis.com
Here's a layout of Rutgers' net rest advantage for the entire year. Games highlighted in green are games we have a positive net rest advantage, and red games are ones we have a negative net rest advantage. Bolded games are one where we have a net bye week advantage, aka we have take more byes up to that point in the season than our opponents.
So Rutgers will have a positive net rest advantage in 4 of it's first 11 games and only one game with a negative net rest advantage. We also will not play any teams coming off of their bye weeks and have a +16 net rest advantage on the season. We also play a lot of teams coming off long stretches of games...
What's a very favorable schedule on paper by opponents alone (for B1G standards), is made even more favorable by the net rest advantage Rutgers has in the structure of it's schedule.
"Net rest is the cumulative sum of individual game rest edges over the course of an entire season.
An example of net rest: this year the Patriots have for games with rest edges of +7, +3, +1 and +1 days of rest edge. But they do not play any games with a negative rest edge, when they would be at a disadvantage. As a result, the Patriots net rest edge for the 2024 season is +12 days (7+3+1+1)."
Even more simply, how many more days of rest do you have than your opponent leading into the game?
Teams Helped & Hurt By 2024 NFL Schedule: 49ers, Ravens, Eagles & More
NFL rest edge & rest disparity: which teams are helped & hurt the most by 2024 NFL schedule, plus the betting importance of rest edges. 49ers, Ravens, Eagles & more.
www.sharpfootballanalysis.com
Here's a layout of Rutgers' net rest advantage for the entire year. Games highlighted in green are games we have a positive net rest advantage, and red games are ones we have a negative net rest advantage. Bolded games are one where we have a net bye week advantage, aka we have take more byes up to that point in the season than our opponents.
| Week | Opponent (how many byes they had prior to our game) | Net Rest Advantage (+/- days of rest prior to game) |
| 1 (Thurs, August 29th) | Howard (0) | 0 |
| 2 (Sat, Sept 7th) | Akron (0) | +2 |
| 3 (Sat, Sept 14th) | BYE | --- |
| 4 (Sat, Sept 21st) | @ Virginia Tech (0) | +7 |
| 5 (Fri, Sept 27th) | Washington (0) | 0 |
| 6 (Sat, Oct 5th) | @ Nebraska (0) | +1 |
| 7 (Sat, Oct 12th) | Wisconsin (1, 9/21) | 0 |
| 8 (Sat, Oct 19th) | UCLA (1, 9/7) | 0 |
| 9 (Fri, Oct 25th) | @ USC (1, 9/14) | 0 |
| 10 (Sat, Nov 2nd) | BYE | --- |
| 11 (Sat, Nov 9th) | Minnesota (1, 10/19) | +7 |
| 12 (Sat, Nov 16th) | @ Maryland (2, 10/5 and 11/2) | 0 |
| 13 (Sat, Nov 23rd) | Illinois (2, 10/5 and 11/9) | 0 |
| 14 (Sat, Nov 30th) | @ Michigan State (2, 10/12 and 11/9) | -1 |
| Totals | +16 |
So Rutgers will have a positive net rest advantage in 4 of it's first 11 games and only one game with a negative net rest advantage. We also will not play any teams coming off of their bye weeks and have a +16 net rest advantage on the season. We also play a lot of teams coming off long stretches of games...
| How many games in a row will they have played prior to Rutgers... | Team(s) |
| 5 | Nebraska, UCLA, USC |
| 4 | Washington |
| 3 | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | Minnesota, MSU, Wisconsin |
| 1 | Akron, Maryland, Illinois |
| 0 | Howard |
What's a very favorable schedule on paper by opponents alone (for B1G standards), is made even more favorable by the net rest advantage Rutgers has in the structure of it's schedule.
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