Realistic expectations for Rutgers football in 2024

Rutgers football is coming off a great season for their program as they had their first winning year and bowl victory since 2014. Greg Schiano is entering his fifth year since returning to the program and is trying to build it back up to what it once was during his first stint and their days in the Big East.

Last season the Scarlet Knights started 3-0 before entering their tough Big Ten schedule. The elimination of the Big Ten divisions will be very beneficial to the Rutgers program this year and in years to come. Rutgers got stuck in the lopsided Big Ten East which meant matchups with Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State which were for sure losses each season. In 2024 they will not have to meet with any of those teams.

This season the Scarlet Knights return 16 starters which is huge in the current landscape of college football and for a program that is trying to rebuild. The biggest returner comes on the offensive side of the ball with running back Kyle Monangai who led the Big Ten in rushing last season with 1,262 yards. Monangai carried a heavy load last season as Rutgers was a team that lived on the ground.

This was due to the lack of talent at the quarterback position with Gavin Wimsatt who has transferred to Kentucky. Wimsatt was not the best passer but was a great running threat. Last season he had only seven more pass completions than rushes. Wimsatt was not great, but he was good enough for Rutgers. This season they will look for more than just good enough with transfer Athan Kaliakmanis who comes in from Minnesota. I do not believe Kaliakmanis is much of an upgrade at the position based on his one year as a starter for the Gophers. He led the team to a 5-7 record throwing for 1,838 yards (only 103 more than Wimsatt), 14 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Scarlet Knights return eight guys from a top-20 defense last season that gave up 21 points per game. They also got a big addition via that transfer portal with defensive tackle Malcolm Ray from Florida State where he appeared in over 40 games for the Noles.

With a more favorable schedule in 2024, I see another successful season for the Scalet Knights. Although I am not a fan of the change at quarterback, I think they will have success with their physical style that Greg Schiano prides himself on highlighted by the run game and defense.

They will breeze through the first two games against Howard and Akron and then I believe they’ll drop the next two at Virginia Tech and versus Washington. Then they’ll split the next two games with Nebraska and Wisconsin before welcoming UCLA to Piscataway on a chilly October Saturday and defeating them. They will then make the cross-country trip to USC and fall to the Trojans in a game that is set to kick off at 11 p.m. ET (Rutgers time) -- crazy. I see them going 3-1 in their last four games, which are all toss-ups, to finish the year 7-5.

I believe Schiano is building something at Rutgers and earning consecutive bowl appearances this year will be a sign of that.