Rutgers Scarlet Knights 2026 College Football Preview & Predictions

In Greg Schiano’s first tenure at Rutgers, it took him until Year 5 to reach a bowl game, which started a streak of five straight winning seasons, six in his final seven years, including three with nine-plus wins, highlighted by an 11-2 season where they finished ranked 12th.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Snapshot

• 2025 Record: 5-7 (2-7) | Big Ten Finish: 14th (tied)
• P. Poll: NR | Coaches Poll: NR | SP+: No. 61
• Head Coach: Greg Schiano (17th Year) | Record: 99-108
• Offensive Coordinator: Kirk Ciarrocca (4th Year)
• Defensive Coordinator: Travis Johansen (1st Year)

Last season was Year 6 of Act II, and while Rutgers has made a bowl three times (once with a losing record), they have yet to finish better than 7-6 and are trending in the wrong direction. Bringing Schiano back to Piscataway made sense, but it appears he’s lost a few MPH off his fastball.

Rutgers Futures Odds (DraftKings)

• Regular Season Wins: OVER 5.5 +142 | UNDER 5.5 -170
• Conference Wins: OVER 2.5 -130 | UNDER 2.5 +110
• National Championship Odds: +110000 | CFB Playoff Odds: +25000
• B1G Championship Odds: +60000 | To Reach B1GCG: +15000

The confidence isn’t high for the Scarlet Knights in 2026, as they are projected to finish under .500 again. It would be their 10th losing season in the past 12, as Rutgers has never had a winning conference record since joining the Big Ten in 2014. They are again in the bottom tier of the B1G, with only Purdue below them in the B1G title race.

Rutgers Preview: Why You Should Buy

• RB Antwan Raymond: 1,241 Yards, 5.1 YPC, 13 TDs
• WR KJ Duff: 60 Receptions, 1,084 Yards, 18.1 YPC, 7 TDs

The offense was among the best we’ve seen at Rutgers in some time, and Schiano was able to keep their two star skill players, RB Antwan Raymond and WR KJ Duff. Duff is a legit dude who would be WR1 on most Big Ten teams. His 1,084 yards and 90.3 YPG were third in the Big Ten in 2025, only behind Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon and all-everything stud Jeremiah Smith. No one among the B1G’s top receivers averaged more than his 18.1 YPC. They say a quarterback’s best friend is a running game; how about a massive 6’6” target who is a big-play threat and led college football with 22 contested catches?

Like Duff, Raymond comes in with All-Big Ten aspirations coming off a 1,000-yard season. With 1,241 yards and 103.4 YPG, he’s the conference’s leading returning rusher. The Montreal native is a workhorse who gained nearly 900 yards after contact with excellent vision and a nose for the end zone. Also back is RB2 Ja’shon Benjamin (4.8 YPC), while transfer Clay Thevenin adds depth and versatility to the backfield. It was a coup for RU to keep both Duff and Raymond.

Rutgers Preview: Why You Should Sell

• Defense Ranked 127th in Total Yards
• Defense Ranked 117th in Scoring

The RU defense was historically bad last season. They finished 131st in rushing defense and allowed 8.6 YPA, which ranked 130th. Their 11 sacks on the season were 135th out of 136 teams. As a team, the Scarlet Knights are 92nd in returning production (47 percent), including just 46 percent of their defensive production. You can make a case that it’s a good thing, considering how bad it was.

At the same time, what’s the path to making a major leap in 2026? They didn’t bring in that many transfers, and only one on defense is from a Power 4 program. That’s Kevyn Humes Jr. from Maryland, who is competing for time at CB. Are we to believe transfers from Villanova, Toledo, Tulsa, and Rice are going to turn this defense around? Their depth and upside took a hit in camp as they dismissed former four-star recruit EDGE Wydeek Collier. This will be one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten again.

Rutgers Breakout Player: Young Wideouts

• Must Replace 96 Receptions, 1,339 yards, and 10 TDs

While KJ Duff is back, Rutgers must replace Ian Strong (52-762-5) and DT Sheffield (44-577-5). First up is Ben Black, who has shown the ability to get open and is considered by many to be their fastest player. It’s now or never for the junior who is set up to be WR2. The competition at slot receiver is intriguing, with another speedster in sophomore Jourdin Houston looking to hold off true freshman Dyzier Carter for the starting role. A four-star, Carter is RU’s top-rated freshman. Houston and Carter have looked solid in camp, as has another true sophomore in Vernon Allen II.

Rutgers X-Factor: Quarterback

• Dylan Lonergan Started Nine Games For BC
• Junior AJ Surace is in His Third Season With the Program

Part of last season’s offensive success was the development of QB Athan Kaliakmanis, who threw for over 3,000 yards with 20 touchdowns (7 INTs). Can they replace his production this season or at least come close? If not, things could get ugly, especially if defenses are allowed to focus heavily on stopping the run. The Scarlet Knights brought in Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan to compete with AJ Surace. According to reports, the competition was very even. Lonergan won the job, but was there much separation?

Lonergan began his career at Alabama before getting the starting job at BC, where he was average at best. He threw for 2,025 yards (7.1 YPA) with 12 TD passes to 5 INTs. The former four-star had three 300-yard games and twice connected on 4 TD passes for the Eagles. Surace isn’t nearly as experienced (9 career passes) but knows Kirk Ciarrocca’s offense, having been at Rutgers since 2024. A step back at quarterback could limit both Duff and Raymond and put the defense on the field more often than ideal. It could turn things really ugly and signal the end of an era.

Rutgers Schedule Analysis

• SP+ SOS Rank: 37
• Phil Steele Toughest Schedules: 40

The Scarlet Knights scheduled a pair of wins against UMass and Howard. That’s where the gimme wins end. At Boston College in Week 2 is a pivotal toss-up game. They avoid both Ohio State and Oregon, but Indiana at home is a wasted home game, as is Michigan, and probably USC. Add a trip to Penn State, and that’s four games against ranked teams that are very likely losses.

Their other conference home games are versus Nebraska and Michigan State, with trips to Maryland, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. These are all games RU can win or lose. It’s not the easiest schedule, but it could be a lot worse, and there’s a realistic path to a bowl.

Rutgers Best Bet, Long Shot, and Prediction: OVER/UNDER 5.5 Wins

• Win Total: UNDER 5.5 (-170 @ DraftKings)
• Best Bet: UNDER 2.5 Conference Wins (+110 @ DraftKings)
• Long Shot: Exactly 4 wins (+400 @ DraftKings)

Looking at the schedule, I see more likely losses than wins. Now if they could trade home games versus Indiana and Michigan for Northwestern and Maryland (who they play on the road), I might sing a different tune. With a hefty -170 price on the UNDER, taking UNDER 2.5 conference wins at +110 is the better, if not safer, bet.

Let’s give them a win against MSU at home; I’m not sure there’s another Big Ten game they will be favored to win. Which means to go over the Scarlet Knights will have to pull off not just one, but two upsets in a quartet of games at Maryland, at Northwestern, at Wisconsin, or versus Nebraska. It’s just as likely they lose all four. Last season, they were the underdog in eight of nine Big Ten games, and their only “upset" was at Purdue (+1.5).