Despite all the jokes before it officially joined the Big Ten, Rutgers has actually had a pretty successful first year in the conference. The Scarlet Knights started the season 5-1, with a win over Michigan and the only loss a near-win against Penn State, and the passing game was quietly proving to be one of the best in the league. However, this three-week stretch against Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin — with the first two on the road — was going to be the toughest test.
How to watch Rutgers vs. Nebraska: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
Is Rutgers really as good as its start suggested?
Rutgers failed the first part of that test pretty spectacularly, falling 56-17 to Ohio State. And while the Buckeyes are pretty darn good, things won’t get much easier in Lincoln.
Nebraska is fresh off a convincing 38-17 win at Northwestern, a team that took Minnesota to the wire in Minneapolis and beat Wisconsin at home, and the Huskers look like the clear favorites to win the Big Ten West. If they can beat Rutgers like Ohio State did, then we might get an all-red Big Ten Championship Game for the second time in four years.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Noon p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our blogs on these teams
The numbers
Rankings and records: Nebraska is 6-1, and the Huskers are ranked 16th in both the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. Rutgers is 5-2 and unranked.
Vegas: Nebraska opened as a 15-point favorite, but the spread is now 17.5. The over/under is 58.
Weather forecast: TBD
Two things at stake
This would be a huge with for the Rutgers program. A win won’t be expected, but the Scarlet Knights need to avoid another blowout to keep up any momentum from the strong start.
Nebraska might be the best team in the Big Ten West, but the Cornhuskers still have to go to Madison and Iowa City. They can’t slip up here, specially with a Big Ten loss already under their belt.
One big matchup
Nebraska offense vs. Rutgers defense: Gary Nova and the Rutgers offense have been the story of the season for the Scarlet Knights, but the defense has also had some pretty good moments, including the games against Penn State and Michigan. Those games look a little bit less impressive now, and the loss to Ohio State showed that there are some questions with this unit. Now they’ll be facing the second best offense they’ll have seen to date, behind Ohio State, with a group of solid receivers and a Heisman candidate at running back. The defense needs to be the best it’s been all season for Rutgers to win.
Further reading
Read On The Banks for more on Rutgers and Corn Nation for more on Nebraska.
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