The NCAA Tournament is complete. Baseball season is in full swing and the summer is beginning to heat up. It might only be May but this is around the time where fans begin to get hungry for college football.
If this sounds like you, then you have come to the right place.
Rutgers is looking to return to a bowl game after a disappointing season in 2025. The Scarlet Knights failed to reach the six-win mark and that is the ultimate goal for the fall.
It is never too early to start looking forward to September
and we have you covered with the first of multiple schedule predictions for Rutgers this season.
Thursday, Sept. 3: vs. UMass
Former Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak is entering his second year as head coach at UMass. He is still looking for his first victory after an 0-12 season in 2025. There had to have been better jobs out there, right? That’s a topic for another day. It is hard to be worse than UMass was last season. Even if they are better, the first win for Harasymiak should not come against Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights will be big, big favorites at home.
Result: Win (1-0)
Friday, Sept. 11: at Boston College
This is the first swing game for Rutgers as it battles for a spot in a bowl game. Boston College was just 2-10 last season. The Eagles have a history of responding to poor years and battling back. It is unknown if that will be the case, but also how good will Rutgers be? Neither question can be answered right now. What we do know is that Rutgers has a chance to be road favorites and that is not a common thing. It is important for Rutgers to win this game and Greg Schiano must have the team ready to play.
Result: Win (2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. USC
USC will play at home in five of the first six weeks of the season. The one road game is a trip to Piscataway on Sept. 19. It was a disappointing season in 2025 as USC did not live up to expectations but the Trojans welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. The future is bright for Lincoln Riley and company, but the expectation is to compete once again — and compete at a high level. The Trojans return an abundance of talent on both sides of the ball. Rutgers will begin Big Ten play one week early this year and it will not be a good start.
Result: Loss (2-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
Friday, Sept. 25: vs. Howard
The good news after a loss to USC is that Rutgers stays home for its third and final non-conference game of the season. There is no reason Rutgers should not roll the Bison once again to get halfway to bowl eligibility.
Result: Win (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 3: vs. Indiana
The full Big Ten slate will kick off with the reigning National Champions coming to town. Fernando Mendoza is gone, the duo of Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper is gone. That is to be expected from a team as good as the Hoosiers after winning a title. But Curt Cignetti is back. Could you imagine an upset over the champs? All it can be is a dream.
Result: Loss (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 17: at Maryland
This is going to be one of the most anticipated games of the season for multiple reasons. First, the rivalry between these two games has heated up. Rutgers fans will have two weeks to get ready for this one and it remains an important swing game on the way to the six-win mark. Fans close your ears: There is some things to like about Maryland this year. We will get into it in depth soon enough during the opponent breakdowns, but the offense returns a lot of talent. This will not be an easy work trip.
Result: Loss (3-3, 0-3 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 24: at Northwestern
This one is going to hurt. Northwestern has a negative connotation in the Big Ten, and rightfully so after recent years. The Wildcats won seven games last season and improved at quarterback with Aidan Chiles coming in. Chip Kelly is the new offensive coordinator and all of a sudden, there are some interesting pieces in Evanston. Rutgers needs to be better on defense this year. If not, the team isn’t going to win many games.
Result: Loss (3-4, 0-4 Big Ten)
Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Michigan
Who knows what Michigan is going to be in year one under Kyle Whittingham? What we do know is the Wolverines will enter the season on a different level than Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights catch Michigan off difficult matchups against Penn State and Indiana. This feels like a get-right game for Michigan on Halloween.
Result: Loss (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 7: at Wisconsin
Wisconsin has crept back toward Rutgers a little more than it probably would have liked in recent years. Nonetheless, the Badgers remain the superior team heading into 2026. Wisconsin will need to win games played at Camp Randall this season and this is one of them. Unless there is a big upset brewing, Rutgers will remain winless in conference play.
Result: Loss (3-6, 0-6 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Nebraska
This is the second of a two-game stretch where Rutgers can come away an upset and win its first Big Ten game of the season. Nebraska will likely enter as a road favorite here but Rutgers will need to win a game at some point.
Result: Win (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 21: at Penn State
Let’s not waste much time on this one. Rutgers could not defeat Ethan Grunkemeyer last year when Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 338 yards and three scores. If Rutgers did not beat Penn State last year, it might never happen.
Result: Loss (4-7, 1-7 Big Ten)
Saturday, Nov. 28: vs. Michigan State
The last game of the season. Rivalry Week. Saturday after Thanksgiving. There is nothing needed more for fans than a Rutgers win to end the season — especially as a favorite.
The good news, Rutgers ends the year with a win. Bad news, it is another season without a bowl appearance and there will be major questions surrounding Greg Schiano during the offseason.
Result: Win (5-7, 2-7 Big Ten)
