Big Ten Football: Picking the best season for each program since 2000

Rutgers may have played college football the longest since they are “The Birthplace of College Football” however they have very few good teams to show for it. The 2006 team was by far the Scarlet Knights best not only of this century, but of their entire existence.

The Scarlet Knights backfield had senior fullback Brian Leonard and sophomore running back Ray Rice. The defense was led by defensive tackles Ramel Meekins and Eric Foster.

Rutgers would go all of September and October with an unblemished record at 9-0. There were no wins over ranked teams, but the stretch would include victories over teams that would finish the year with nine wins including Ohio, South Florida and Navy. The Scarlet Knights would enter the polls after the win over Ohio.

With a No. 15 ranking in the polls, Rutgers would welcome third ranked Louisville for a Thursday night contest in Piscataway. This would prove to be the biggest win in school history.

The elation would be short-lived as Rutgers would lose at Cincinnati the following week 30-11. Two weeks after their first loss, the Knights would lose again on the road, this time in a triple-overtime thriller at West Virginia.

While there was no Big East title, Rutgers would conclude the season at 11-2 and ranked 12th in the polls with a dominating 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. Rice was named Big East player of the year and Greg Schiano won the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award.

With Schiano now back for his second stint at Rutgers, there is hope he can restore the success he had during his first go-around.