Rutgers 2012 Season Prediction

Rutgers comes into 2012 with a very strong team. They have one of the best defenses in the nation, a special teams unit capable of making game changing plays, and an offense that has enough young talent that you can feel optimistic about it being at least a solid unit. They have the best roster in the Big East, but having a rookie head coach in Kyle Flood has slowed the expectations down some what.

Here's my prediction for how I think the season will go:

Game 1 at Tulane- W
Tulane is a bad, bad team. Rutgers lost to them in 2010 in one of the worst loses in program history, but their roster is just too talented to lose this one, even if it is an early season road game with a new head coach.

Game 2 vs Howard- W
Howard is an FCS team who has a number of players suspended for this game. With Rutgers feeding off a fired up crowd, there's no way they will lose this.

Game 3 at South Florida- W
This is a HUGE early season in-conference test for Rutgers. A loss could set them back and a win could propel them into a great season. The Bulls have a lot of talent on their roster and have pulled off some big wins in the past. This should be a defensive battle and  BJ Daniels is usually good for a big mistake or two, so I think Rutgers will take advantage of that and pull out a close one.

Game 4 at Arkansas- L
The Hogs have a great quarterback in Tyler Wilson and some nice running backs, so their offense will be tough to stop. This is probably the most hostile environment Rutgers has played in in a long time. They could pull an upset here, but I just don't see it. I have a bad feeling about the offense against an SEC defense.

Game 5 vs Connecticut- W
Rutgers should want to get some revenge in this one after UConn ruined their chances of a Big East title last year. The Huskies lost some key players on defense, but they should be a little bit better on offense with a new QB. Rutgers just has too many explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball that UConn won't be able to keep up with.

Game 6 vs Syracuse- W
The Orange have a solid, senior laden offense, but their defense (their secondary in particular) leaves a lot to be desired. They were just torn apart by Northwestern today. Brandon Coleman and Mark Harrison should light their defense up.

Game 7 at Temple- W
The Owls lost a lot of starters from last year, but they did add Montel Harris from Boston College and Chris "Mini Tebow" Coyer is a dangerous runner at QB. They were not very successful against the top tier MAC teams (like Ohio), so I just don't see them being very good year one in a better conference.

Game 8 vs Kent State- W
The Golden Flash have been towards the bottom of the MAC for a few years, so they should not be much of a problem. Did you see their guy run the wrong way on Thursday night?

Game 9 vs Army- W
Army runs the triple option, and those offenses are always a plain in the ass to stop and the cut blocks can wear a defense out, but Rutgers' D have plenty of experience stopping the option.

Game 10 at Cincinnati- W
The Bearcats seem to always be in contention for the Big East title, no matter what kind of attrition they go through in the offseason. They basically all of their top players on offense and defense, and I'm not a big beliver in Butch Jones, so this year could be a rare transition year of them. Rutgers defense is designed to stop their offense., so the Scarlet Knights will pull out a challenging road win.

Game 11 at Pitt- L
This has trap game written all over it. A conference road game with a huge game the following Thursday against Louisville could spell trouble, especially for a program that has lost a bunch of WTF? games over the years. Pitt is back to running a powerful I-formation offense, and Ray Graham is a really good back. Their defense is a bit young, but that won't be a problem this late in the season. Rutgers is a much better team, but, I just don't feel good about this one.

Game 12 vs Louisville- W
Pandemonium in Piscataway 2? The Big East title could be on the line in this one, and I think the home crowd will push Rutgers over the top against a very good Louisville team. Teddy Bridgewater is the best QB in the Big East, but Rutgers defensive line should have a big day against their shaky o-line. Just like the Scarlet Knights always have a WTF? game, they have a game were they come out and play great against a quaility opponent, and I think that will happen here.

So I think Rutgers finishes 10-2 (6-1), wins the Big East title and goes to the Orange Bowl. They have the talent to win this many games. The coaching staff just needs to keep them focused and prepared, and not make any mistakes of their own.

Rest of Big East Projected Order of Finish:
2. Louisville, 3. South Florida, 4. Pittsburgh, 5. Cincinnati, 6. Connecticut, 7. Syracuse, 8. Temple.