Note: This is part four of a four part series. Parts one (Louisville), two (Syracuse), and three (Pitt) ran previously.
Now, let me clear here: I am using this word “program” very generously when I talk about Rutgers.
So far, Rutgers has shown that it can win only when Ray Rice is in the backfield. Before Rice? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. They were Greg Robinson bad before Greg Robinson was bad. And that’s tough to do (and follow).
Rutgers was quite simply the laughingstock of college football (see: Syracuse, 2008). Then lord-and-savior Greg Schiano took over and all was right in New Jersey (well, not all, but some). But very quickly, Rutgers has looked more and more like the Rutgers of old. You what else happened? Ray Rice graduated. Coincidence? I think not.
If you remember, I predicted all of this last year:
Sure they played in the first collegiate game ever. So what? That was like 500 years ago. If I remember correctly, and I think most of my memory is still intact after 7 years in Morgantown, Rutgers used to suck at football. Really, really suck. Hell, in 2001, we beat them 80-7…and that was a WVU team that won 3 games. Between 1996 and 2004, they won 23 games. Really, really the opposite of good.
Here’s what I want you to take away from all of this: remember Duke? Steve Spurrier turned around an awful Duke team and won the ACC championship in 1989. He then immediately bolted for Florida. Greg Schiano has turned around an awful Rutgers team, getting very close to winning the Big EAST championship. While he turned down Miami this off-season, don’t think for a second that an upscale program in less disarray won’t attract Schiano (cough, Penn State, cough). They are one coaching change away from going right back to being Duke…or worse than Duke.
Turns out it didn’t even take Schiano leaving to do it — it just took Rice. Or Ray’s mom.
Rice’s mom is the one on the left
Filed under: rutgers |
West BY GOD Virginia 
Looks like that axe cannot even cut into butter these days.
I’m an RU supporter and you’re right. My understanding is that Rice went to the NFL early and never received a degree. Like most “big time” schools, RU graduates less than half the players that enter “the program.” The huge sums of money spent to improve the football facilities and pay Greedy Greg at the expense of academics is nothing less than criminal.
Many in the RU community are demanding that the school deemphasize big time football and return to its roots. Thanks for your help and please keep up the good work of highlighting RU’s football inadequacies. Clearly, RU has no place in the corrupt world of commercialized sports entertainment. Bring on Princeton!
Don’t come in hear talking about acedemiks, this is WVU blog.
I’d thumb my nose to your sir but I’m not……GAY…..
Program in Meltdown: West Virginia