Was 2016 the toughest RU FB schedule of all time?

[ScarletStateofNJ]

Rutgers played 4 teams that ended in the Top 10 of the final rankings:
#4 Washington
#6 OSU
#7 PSU
#10 Michigan

Iowa was also ranked in the Top 25 when we played them. I think some of the schedules in the late 90's were brutal when Miami and VT were ranked in the Top 10, but I wonder if the Source or someone could vet the idea that 2016 was our toughest FB schedule of all time.

 

[rutger80]

5 other opponents went to bowl games as well: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota and New Mexico.

 

[newell138]

yes

 

[ScarletDave]

At the time of playing our opponents, we played #2, #4, #8, #14, and #25. So yes I'd say that this was the toughest schedule we ever played.

 

[ScarletDave]

The next closest would have been Schiano's early tenure, 2002, when we played #1, #3, #8, #11 (Miami, VT, Notre Dame OOC, and Tennessee OOC)

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Yes... And the 2017 schedule is just as bad.

Welp

 

[RUforester72]

Sure felt like it.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Hands-down not even close. IIRC Greg's hardest slate landed somewhere in the 40's or 50's (I listed them a few weeks back).

 

[G- RUnit]

The next closest would have been Schiano's early tenure, 2002, when we played #1, #3, #8, #11 (Miami, VT, Notre Dame OOC, and Tennessee OOC)

Plus a 9-4 BC team that dominated a bowl game. Pretty darn close.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

At the time of playing our opponents, we played #2, #4, #8, #14, and #25. So yes I'd say that this was the toughest schedule we ever played.

Per Sagarin:

2002 - 51st
2006 - 58th
2015 - 50th
2016 - 28th (dropped from 4th pre-bowl IIRC)

 

[BoroKnight]

Match the toughest schedule we've faced with the most unprepared squad we've fielded and you get, well, 2-10.

We played a bunch of bowl teams several times, even going back to the end of the Burns era, but nothing like 2016. Brutal.

 

[RUfromSoCal?]

1869- we played the hardest schedule in the nation.

but, other than that........ yeah.

 

[Kbee3]

Per Sagarin:

2002 - 51st
2006 - 58th
2015 - 50th
2016 - 28th (dropped from 4th pre-bowl IIRC)

Not even close. Hell of a way to start your coaching career.

 

[megadrone]

1869- we played the hardest schedule in the nation.

but, other than that........ yeah.

So did our opponent back then

 

[RUwoz]

ESPN Big Ten article just said we have the third easiest schedule in the coming year so that should help for a turnaround http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...avorable-big-ten-conference-schedules-in-2017

 

[AreYouNUTS]

ESPN Big Ten article just said we have the third easiest schedule in the coming year so that should help for a turnaround http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...avorable-big-ten-conference-schedules-in-2017

Will finish between our 2nd and 5th most difficult schedule very. Calling this schedule "easy," in any way, shape, or form, is absurd.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

ESPN Big Ten article just said we have the third easiest schedule in the coming year so that should help for a turnaround http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/pos...avorable-big-ten-conference-schedules-in-2017

I think the article is referring to the crossovers games making some of the league games a little easier after battling a tough B1G East schedule again. I would not call Rutgers' schedule the 3rd easiest schedule.

 

[Source]

Rutgers played 4 teams that ended in the Top 10 of the final rankings... but I wonder if the Source or someone could vet the idea that 2016 was our toughest FB schedule of all time.

Rutgers finished its inaugural season under new head coach Chris Ash in 2016 with a 2-10 record. By the end of the regular season Rutgers had played Ohio State and Washington, the number three and four teams in the College Football Playoff championship rankings. Penn State and Michigan were the number five and six teams on the list. The Associated Press and the Coaches Polls ranked them #2, #4, #5 and #6 respectively. Iowa was ranked at #21 in the AP poll only. Playing five ranked teams the week they met is a record for any Rutgers schedule in history. The final AP ranking released on January 10, 2017 ranked Washington at #4, Ohio State at #6, Penn State at #7 and Michigan at #10 and one spot behind Wisconsin.

The closest to this scheduling would be in the seasons when various retro-pollsters looked back and picked mythical "National Champions." During a 3-4-1 season in 1884, Rutgers played a home-and-away series against Princeton and hosted Yale (with star player Walter Camp) at College Field. For 1884, the retro-pollsters selected Yale National Champions by the National Championship Foundation (1869-2000), Helms Athletic Foundation (1883-1982) and Co-National Champions with Princeton by Parke Davis (1869-1933). Princeton was selected National Champions by Billingsley Report (1869-2006).

Playing three games against the eventual National Champion/s in one season is also a Rutgers record.

 

[Kbee3]

Rutgers finished its inaugural season under new head coach Chris Ash in 2016 with a 2-10 record. By the end of the regular season Rutgers had played Ohio State and Washington, the number three and four teams in the College Football Playoff championship rankings. Penn State and Michigan were the number five and six teams on the list. The Associated Press and the Coaches Polls ranked them #2, #4, #5 and #6 respectively. Iowa was ranked at #21 in the AP poll only. Playing five ranked teams the week they met is a record for any Rutgers schedule in history. The final AP ranking released on January 10, 2017 ranked Washington at #4, Ohio State at #6, Penn State at #7 and Michigan at #10 and one spot behind Wisconsin.

The closest to this scheduling would be in the seasons when various retro-pollsters looked back and picked mythical "National Champions." During a 3-4-1 season in 1884, Rutgers played a home-and-away series against Princeton and hosted Yale (with star player Walter Camp) at College Field. For 1884, the retro-pollsters selected Yale National Champions by the National Championship Foundation (1869-2000), Helms Athletic Foundation (1883-1982) and Co-National Champions with Princeton by Parke Davis (1869-1933). Princeton was selected National Champions by Billingsley Report (1869-2006).

Playing three games against the eventual National Champion/s in one season is also a Rutgers record.

The 1884 team lost those 4 games principally because the D-backs didn't look back for the ball.

 

[jabbs1]

Rutgers played 4 teams that ended in the Top 10 of the final rankings:
#4 Washington
#6 OSU
#7 PSU
#10 Michigan

Iowa was also ranked in the Top 25 when we played them. I think some of the schedules in the late 90's were brutal when Miami and VT were ranked in the Top 10, but I wonder if the Source or someone could vet the idea that 2016 was our toughest FB schedule of all time.

Yes

 

[RUMBA-JK]

YES - and this also speaks to a degree of difficulty factor that is a part of the transition to the B1G - - RUTGERS HAS TO GET BIG & STRONG - week after week after week after week the team is facing top caliber - big body - punishing teams. In these first years in the B1G, the understandable competitive capability disparity that may exist between RU and say, Ohio State, at the beginning of the season - has become greater and greater as the schedule takes its toll on the team.

This relates to one of the counters to the criticism of getting overwhelmingly blown out in say a week 4 or 5 game - and that is- you have to keep your team functional
- so if you are a team that is not as 'developed' & maybe a bit thin in spots - you have to be clever -but - when it turns into a god-awful Armageddon blow-out, it may be prudent to get the key players that your season is counting on - out of there - or - run very conservative plays - especially if the are being targeted on every play - don't make human sacrifices out of them.

When you are a less 'developed' team, you have to figure out how to navigate the entire season - especially if you have a couple of genuinely win-able games at the end of the schedule - because if you play "defend the Alamo - leave it all on the field" in several horrendous blow outs in mid season - you may become so broken down that you show up to these win-able end of season games with nothing - and you then look foolish because you are fielding a team that is so weak it can't put forward a good effort even though it should have been able to beat the last few teams.