Media Perception - Long Way to Go…

[PSAL_Hoops]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

 

[rutgersfan1766]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

They mentioned RU-Mich in honorable mention.

Great slate of games this week. Might not get a better slate all season.

 

[rutgersguy1]

There are plenty of good games this week. 6 ranked vs ranked games and then FSU/Clemson. After that though, it's kind of pick and choose to your taste.

 

[Luvscarletknights]

I would rather be under the radar for now.

 

[rutobs]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

Have to earn the respect; let’s go win this weekend.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

They mentioned RU-Mich in honorable mention.

Great slate of games this week. Might not get a better slate all season.

The top 6-7 or so games are good. Baylor should not be on there. They stink.

 

[LeapinLou]

Looking at it strictly on 2023 results, you make a fair point. But Baylor-Texas has been a much bigger deal over the last 5+ years. I have no issue with it. As you said, we still have a ways to go. Let's just continue trending in the right direction.

 

[mdk01]

Looking at it strictly on 2023 results, you make a fair point. But Baylor-Texas has been a much bigger deal over the last 5+ years. I have no issue with it. As you said, we still have a ways to go. Let's just continue trending in the right direction.

And it's at Baylor.

 

[RW90]

It's understandable especially when at the end of the day RU is still a twenty-something point underdog after all.

 

[Joey Bags]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

Baylor has had tremendous success over the last decade. It’s also one of those rivalry games where it can be a toss up no matter how good/bad one of the teams are. Unlike our “rivalry” with Penn State…

 

[RUPete]

Either way, good weekend for a monsoon, no RU home game and plenty of games to settle in and watch on Saturday.

 

[S_Janowski]

Media aside - I have a few friends/coworkers (non Rutgers fans) who have commented to me about the 3-0 start.

We’re slowly but surely getting back to respectability as a program.

 

[brgRC90]

This is where our starry-eyed fans meet reality: nobody is impressed by wins over bad teams or 6 win seasons where you beat nothing but bad teams except them. College football fans want to see you beat someone good. Until you do that they will ignore you and follow the teams who do.

 

[Virginiarufan]

This weekend may be the best slate of games all year. Tons of ranked match ups with major consequences for the rest of the season. We get disrespected all over the place, but this article is not an example of that.

 

[WhiteBus]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

Not a great slate?? 6 games where ranked teams are going head to head. Before this weekend there has only been 1 game each weekend. You lost the argument right there!

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Not a great slate?? 6 games where ranked teams are going head to head. Before this weekend there has only been 1 game each weekend. You lost the argument right there!

Yeah - but it’s a top 10 list. 40% of the games on it aren’t those games.

 

[krup]

I would rather be under the radar for now.

Especially this weekend with all of the other ranked games.

If RU disappoints against #2 Michigan it will get less coverage than usual.

If RU scared or defeated Michigan it would get a huge amount of coverage on these other games because anything involving Michigan has such huge playoff implications,

 

[EmptySeats]

This is where our starry-eyed fans meet reality: nobody is impressed by wins over bad teams or 6 win seasons where you beat nothing but bad teams except them. College football fans want to see you beat someone good. Until you do that they will ignore you and follow the teams who do.

This is fair, but I don't think Rutgers should be penalized for playing "bad teams" during this particular 3-0 start. Northwestern is in our conference and we have to play them. When the game was scheduled, Virginia Tech was likely in or near the Top 25, so that was an honest attempt by Rutgers to play better competition. Temple is a regional D-1 program so I don't think there's anything wrong with scheduling them, either.

While a 6-win season wouldn't really move the needle nationally despite some diehards beating their chests about it on this board, a 7 or 8 win record certainly would, in my opinion. That's what I'm hoping for this year.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

This is fair, but I don't think Rutgers should be penalized for playing "bad teams" during this particular 3-0 start. Northwestern is in our conference and we have to play them. When the game was scheduled, Virginia Tech was likely in or near the Top 25, so that was an honest attempt by Rutgers to play better competition. Temple is a regional D-1 program so I don't think there's anything wrong with scheduling them, either.

While a 6-win season wouldn't really move the needle nationally despite some diehards beating their chests about it on this board, a 7 or 8 win record certainly would, in my opinion. That's what I'm hoping for this year.

What really stood out to me was the Texas game making the top 10 and not our game. Texas is playing a team that went into the locker room up 16-7 last week to Long Island (Wagner’s only win of the season last year). Baylor also lost by 2 scores to a terrible Texas State team in week one so it wasn’t a fluke. I get that we haven’t played murders row, but our 3-0 is much more impressive than their 1-2. Obviously the media doesn’t see that. They see that on another day, Baylor kept it close vs Utah so they must be better than us because we always get blown out by the top teams. Never mind the other results. That’s really where I was coming from on perception.

 

[ScarletNYC]

Okay - so I get that we’re a major underdog but we’re still a 3-0 team playing the 2nd rank team in the country and outlets like the Athletic don’t even include the game in the top 10 games for the week (and there aren’t many good games).

Ranking Week 4’s top 10 college football games: Behold, a preposterously loaded lineup

Week 4 is brimming with big-time matchups, thanks to the start of conference play for much of the country and a top-10 showdown.

theathletic.com

The Texas / Baylor makes the cut. Baylor is 1-2 with a terrible loss to Texas State. Their only win is Long Island, the one football team Wagner might be able to beat. This highlights just how far we have to go from a perception standpoint to earn respect.

There are 7 ranked vs ranked games this week. Stop crying

 

[RUforlife]

We are 3-0 against undeniably two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory and VT. The college football world understands our schedule and the fact that this team has done nothing to speak of to date by beating these three teams. Playing a close game against Michigan and losing will garner more respect for Rutgers than beating three down on their luck programs ever will.

 

[RUSK97]

We are 3-0 against undeniably two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory and VT. The college football world understands our schedule and the fact that this team has done nothing to speak of to date by beating these three teams. Playing a close game against Michigan and losing will garner more respect for Rutgers than beating three down on their luck programs ever will.

I get that you’re unimpressed with what Rutgers has done so far, but there’s no need to go over the top. The first three teams aren’t great - that is undeniable. There is however no need to label NW and Temple as two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory. That’s just not true. Both teams have beaten a FBS opponent this season (UTEP and Akron, respectively). That by definition means they’re not the worst FBS teams. VT is not the contender they once were, but they beat a talented ODU squad convincingly and almost knocked off Purdue.

 

[mdk01]

We are 3-0 against undeniably two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory and VT. The college football world understands our schedule and the fact that this team has done nothing to speak of to date by beating these three teams. Playing a close game against Michigan and losing will garner more respect for Rutgers than beating three down on their luck programs ever will.

Two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory? A little over the top, don't you think?

 

[Kbee3]

This is where our starry-eyed fans meet reality: nobody is impressed by wins over bad teams or 6 win seasons where you beat nothing but bad teams except them. College football fans want to see you beat someone good. Until you do that they will ignore you and follow the teams who do.

Yeah, just think of how impressed they'd be if we had our first three wins over East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green.

 

[RUSK97]

Yeah, just think of how impressed they'd be if we had our first three wins over East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green.

😎

 

[brgRC90]

This is fair, but I don't think Rutgers should be penalized for playing "bad teams" during this particular 3-0 start. Northwestern is in our conference and we have to play them. When the game was scheduled, Virginia Tech was likely in or near the Top 25, so that was an honest attempt by Rutgers to play better competition. Temple is a regional D-1 program so I don't think there's anything wrong with scheduling them, either.

While a 6-win season wouldn't really move the needle nationally despite some diehards beating their chests about it on this board, a 7 or 8 win record certainly would, in my opinion. That's what I'm hoping for this year.

Nobody is being punished for a weak schedule early, the team just isn't ringing bells for beating bad teams. They were terrible last year. They've been terrible for a decade. College football is not going to sit up and take notice because they beat 3 teams ranked 80 or 90 or worse to start the season unless maybe they did it by 80 points and gave sports writers reason to believe they were dangerous to better teams. This is one reason why I'm certain many of our fans don't watch college football outside Rutgers or they'd know how it works.

 

[brgRC90]

Yeah, just think of how impressed they'd be if we had our first three wins over East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green.

You really don't know why that's different?

 

[RUforlife]

Two of the worst FBS teams in recent memory? A little over the top, don't you think?

NW was 1-11 last year and they are headed towards the same record again this year. Both VT and Temple won three games last year, both may not reach that lofty summit this year. I saw somebody post, well we could have been playing ECU, is that the same ECU that beat Temple last year. All three are the bottom feeders of their respective conferences, you couldn't hand pick three easier opponents, not anyone at Rutgers fault, just the way it happened to work out this year. Throw in Wagner, Indiana, and a dysfunctional MSU and we would have to really, really, really try our hardest not to win six games this year.

 

[mdk01]

NW was 1-11 last year and they are headed towards the same record again this year. Both VT and Temple won three games last year, both may not reach that lofty summit this year. I saw somebody post, well we could have been playing ECU, is that the same ECU that beat Temple last year. All three are the bottom feeders of their respective conferences, you couldn't hand pick three easier opponents, not anyone at Rutgers fault, just the way it happened to work out this year. Throw in Wagner, Indiana, and a dysfunctional MSU and we would have to really, really, really try our hardest not to win six games this year.

A bottom feeder in the Big 10 can still better than a lot of FBS teams. Same for VT and the ACC. Not saying it was Murderers Row.

 

[Knight Shift]

Hey, in The Athletic, Feldman has RU in his Against the Spread column!!! 😬🥳

Rutgers at No. 2 Michigan (-24), Noon, Big Ten Network​

Greg Schiano’s team has given Michigan some problems since he returned to RU. The score was within seven points in 2020 and 2021, and last year Rutgers led in the third quarter before getting blown out. This is probably Schiano’s best team in his second act there, and I think the Knights hang around for a while again.

Michigan 38, Rutgers 17
The Pick: Rutgers +24

And that twat Mandel (Northwestern loser) did not show us love in his mailbag question. I have RU winning the CFP.


From this list of Power 5 teams that are 3-0, which is most likely to make the CFP: Duke, Rutgers, UCF or Missouri? — Sean F.

Duke, absolutely. The Blue Devils already beat Clemson, they get Notre Dame at home in two weeks (potential “College GameDay” site?). They’re probably not sweeping road games at Florida State and North Carolina, but hey, just get to Charlotte and let Riley Leonard cook.

 

[RUforlife]

A bottom feeder in the Big 10 can still better than a lot of FBS teams. Same for VT and the ACC. Not saying it was Murderers Row.

I don't know how many FBS teams that group of three could beat, but I do know that Michigan playing a team with a 3-0 record against NW, Temple, and VT is not even close to being one of the 10 best games of the week in college football, which was the premise of the OP.

 

[brgRC90]

I don't know how many FBS teams that group of three could beat, but I do know that Michigan playing a team with a 3-0 record against NW, Temple, and VT is not even close to being one of the 10 best games of the week in college football, which was the premise of the OP.

In any event, it's hardly a hideous slight towards the program to not consider our team very likely to make a game of it. They aren't likely to. They haven't beaten anyone good in a very long time. Either be competitive or expect to get ignored. We wouldn't expect to hear about UConn because they started the season 3-0 against a weak lineup. The bar is low. They have every opportunity to change perceptions.

 

[mdk01]

I don't know how many FBS teams that group of three could beat, but I do know that Michigan playing a team with a 3-0 record against NW, Temple, and VT is not even close to being one of the 10 best games of the week in college football, which was the premise of the OP.

Then why the hyperbole?

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

I don't know how many FBS teams that group of three could beat, but I do know that Michigan playing a team with a 3-0 record against NW, Temple, and VT is not even close to being one of the 10 best games of the week in college football, which was the premise of the OP.

But Baylor is, huh? It’s not like the Baylor game is ranked 10. They have it at 8.

Would any of those teams lose to Texas State?

 

[mildone]

College football fans want to see you beat someone good.

Yep, they want to see that and see you do it regularly and for more than one golden season. Do that, and then perhaps then RUFB can begin to overcome the abysmal national perception and start to earn some measure of respect.

No matter what happens, gaining respect won't happen at a pace RU fans will be happy about. Patience isn't a virtue found in great supply with most sports fans. 🙂

 

[megadrone]

If we lose big, people will jump off whatever bandwagon is here.

If we lose, but it's a close game, fewer people will jump off.

If we win, get ready for RutgersAl posts of how we're winning the NC this year.

 

[Virginiarufan]

What really stood out to me was the Texas game making the top 10 and not our game. Texas is playing a team that went into the locker room up 16-7 last week to Long Island (Wagner’s only win of the season last year). Baylor also lost by 2 scores to a terrible Texas State team in week one so it wasn’t a fluke. I get that we haven’t played murders row, but our 3-0 is much more impressive than their 1-2. Obviously the media doesn’t see that. They see that on another day, Baylor kept it close vs Utah so they must be better than us because we always get blown out by the top teams. Never mind the other results. That’s really where I was coming from on perception.

It will be the last time Texas and Baylor play for the foreseeable future and that has grown into a semi-healthy rivalry in the last decade or so with Baylor being very competitive. The schools are very close geographically and have played over 100 times, while it seems like nothing to us to those fan bases it matters.

 

[brgRC90]

Yep, they want to see that and see you do it regularly and for more than one golden season. Do that, and then perhaps then RUFB can begin to overcome the abysmal national perception and start to earn some measure of respect.

No matter what happens, gaining respect won't happen at a pace RU fans will be happy about. Patience isn't a virtue found in great supply with most sports fans. 🙂

A single great season would go a long way to changing perceptions, though. A bunch of mediocre seasons, not so much.

 

[LotusAggressor]

If you want respect, earn it by beating the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Don't expect it when you beat bad teams that, at this stage in Schiano's tenure, they probably SHOULD be beating.

 

[mildone]

A single great season would go a long way to changing perceptions, though. A bunch of mediocre seasons, not so much.

A single season, unless it was like a championship winning season, or maybe beating UM and OSU in the same season, wouldn't change most people's perceptions that aren't already fans of RUFB. Or it might change them very slightly, but a single mediocre season (e.g. 6 wins) would cause it to slip right back to zero respect again.

When sports fans from other teams are bluntly honest, rather than typically polite, they have pretty low opinions of the program. And seriously, why wouldn't they?

The key to respect is both winning and consistency. And respect is lost much more quickly than earned. Not just for RU, but for everyone that isn't a year-in year-out playoff contender.