Rutgers currently holds a streak an FBS streak that has spanned across nearly two decades.
It was in 2009 when the Scarlet Knights defeated No. 24 South Florida, 31-0. This was the last time that Rutgers beat a ranked opponent.
The Scarlet Knights have lost 45 straight games with an average margin of defeat of 28.8 points against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. They will now prepare for a matchup against a team that you might not have expected before the season started.
Rutgers will face Northwestern this weekend. The Wildcats landed in Sunday’s AP Poll at No. 24. They opened as 16.5-point favorites as well against the Scarlet Knights.
So, the question is, can Rutgers end this long streak?
The Scarlet Knights came close earlier in the season when USC came to Piscataway as the No. 12 team in the nation. Rutgers went score-for-score with the Trojans but could not get a stop to gain control of the game in a 42-35 loss.
Northwestern has not exactly played murderer’s row this season to this point, but the Wildcats are putting up lopsided scores against inferior teams, which Rutgers is right now. Northwestern also came within range of upsetting Indiana, who beat Rutgers 47-15.
This is a difficult road game for Rutgers and is likely the last opportunity to end this streak this season. Head coach Greg Schiano claimed earlier in the season that his team would beat a team that no one was expecting. Well, it hasn’t happened yet and this is another chance this weekend.