Rutgers Football: The Fan’s Christmas List to Santa

Every Rutgers University Football Fan has been making their Christmas Wish List each and every year since the inaugural college football game in history, that took place November 6, 1869 On the Banks of the Old Raritan.

Following a 2 - 10 season under first year Head Coach Chris Ash, the wish list this time could be long and plentiful. Santa Voz takes a crack at what he sees as the consensus of the faithful fans of the Scarlet Knights 2016 Holiday Season.

Dear Santa: All we want for Christmas this year is the following:

• An Offensive Coordinator with experience calling plays and a willingness to stay at Rutgers long enough to take advantage of the State Pension System. Thank You Santa! That present came early. Hey this may be easier than I thought.

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

• An experienced, upperclassman calling signals under center (I’m showing my age) I meant, in the shot gun for a Coordinator who he has worked with for more than one season. Don’t worry Johnathan Lewis, this applies to your apprentice, dare we say Artur Sitkowski?
• A non conference schedule that is fan friendly. Is there any reason why the Scarlet Knights three non Big Ten games are not a reasonable car ride away. Is it asking too much that Rutgers play traditional rivals UConn, Temple, Syracuse or Boston College? It could be the Unofficial Big East Football Championship. Absolutely no reason to play on the west coast with kickoff at midnight.

Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images

• For the Big Ten to reinstate the end of the season, Thanksgiving weekend, rivalry game with Maryland. It only makes sense, both schools entered the conference at the same time and geographically it also works. The Big Ten should not have catered to Penn State and changed the schedule to accommodate the Nittany Lions and force new rivalry game …. RU v. Michigan State …. The 700 Mile Rivalry !
• A large number of recruits to enroll early (January of their HS senior year) and/or Red Shirt (Fall Season of their Freshman Year) to create and roster full of mature you men committed to winning the Big Ten over younger, inexperienced, NFL dreamers.
• For the Scarlet Knights to always sport one helmet for each and every game, one home and one away uniform. Let us not have a need to be like other schools that must wear different uniforms for every game (what a waste of money that is). It’s weird that the bland Penn State uniforms have become the most recognizable uniform in the country these days.

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Each of these Christmas Wishes are not asking too much, they are not pie in the sky. Fans On the Banks will be very patient and very forgiving if they see honest effort and a protecting of the tradition started on that chilly November day in 1869. These are our wishes for the upcoming year.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Scarlet Knight !