Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood celebrates with President Robert Barchi after as Rutgers defeats North Carolina 40-21 in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field. 12/26/14 Detroit, MI (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Can the Rutgers Scarlet Knights return to a bowl game in 2015 with a new quarterback and a tougher schedule with a much improved Big Ten East?

Just like the Maryland Terrapins, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Head Coach Kyle Flood set themselves up perfectly to sell a fake bag of goods to recruits.

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They went 8-5 and won their bowl game their first year in the Big Ten. Recruits across the northeast can see that and think something is happening in New Jersey, and it could compel them to go to Rutgers. They can leave out the fact that the Big Ten last year was about as bad as the American Athletic Conference because nobody would assume that.

But, now the Scarlet Knights enter their second season in the Big Ten, and things are about to get tougher, particularly in their division. Ohio State is still great, Michigan State will not have a drop-off, Penn State should burst back onto the scene under James Franklin, and the Michigan Wolverines will be no cakewalk with Jim Harbaugh now at the helm. And don’t count Maryland as a sure win.

So yes, Rutgers has no guarantees going into this season, and despite the fool’s gold that they and Maryland showed everybody last year, all of that could change with one bad year. That means the pressure is on.

A new coordinator, a new quarterback, and 11 new starters this year could make things more difficult. But as a program that has climbed itself out of the dumps thanks to what Greg Schiano and now Flood have done since 2001, they have shown the ability to hang on.

Now here comes the real test.

Next: Offensive Outlook