#40 Rutgers Scarlet Knights: College Football 77 in 77

There’s a flood watch in effect on the Jersey shore. Kyle Flood takes over the Scarlet Knights football program at Rutgers, the state school of New Jersey. Can he succeed where Greg Schiano failed, and win the Big East? Is Rutgers a true Big East contender?

2011 was:a big season in Piscataway, as they went 9-4 overall and won a de facto home game in the Pinstripe Bowl. They had a top ten defense nationally, and they had a top ten run defense.

2012 will go smoothly if: The schedule is favorable early on, and we’ll see if they can build momentum and confidence from some early wins. The D was so good, and should be again that it carried Rutgers through in times of strife. It all depends on how fast the new personnel can adjust to the scheme and college football on this level. They got to improve that running game, it was 112th in the nation last year. With any augmentation, they’ll win another 8+ games this year.

2012 will be rough if: This team has the same issues they’ve had for the past three years: QB and the big uglies up front. Will a new coaching staff make the OL finally play up to it’s potential? Can Chas Dodd and Gary Nova just be game managers? That’s all they need to be for Rutgers to win.

BMOC: LB Steve Beauharnais and Khaseem Greene, NT Scott Vallone

All-name team: Julian Pinnix-Odrick, Quron Pratt, Andre Civil

Bottom Line: They should be just okay. Maybe better than .500 as 7-8 wins certainly looks likely. New coach, new assistants, new regime means they probably won’t compete for a Big East title. However, their secondary should be league’s best, and they will be super strong in the front seven as well.

Rankings Athlon- 46 Lindy’s- 36 Phil Steele- 45

All the 77s

#45 Mississippi State

#46 North Carolina

#47 Northwestern

#48 Miami, FL

#49 California

#50 SMU

#51 South Florida

#52 UConn

#53 UCLA

#54 Illinois

#55 Vanderbilt

#56 Washington St.

#59 Purdue

#62 Arizona State

#63 Boston College

#64 Ohio

#65 Marshall

#66 Arizona

#67 Southern Miss

#72 Colorado

#73 Kansas

#74 Maryland

#75 Duke

#76 Minnesota

#77 Indiana

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Fox Sports, MSN, Walter Football and Yardbarker

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too

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