RU Football Preview: What's Lindy's got to say?

We might have a break from the pattern.  We started with a look at Athlon Sports predictions and then moved on to ESPN.  Neither saw much good coming out of Piscataway, with both publications seeing the Knights in last place in the B1G East.  Lindy's, on the other hand sees a potential sixth place finish ahead of Maryland.  Hey, we're looking for silver linings here.

Lindy's has the Knights ranked 91 in the country, ahead of only No. 97 Purdue among Big Ten schools.

Recruiting:  Like other publications, Lindy's is all over Michigan's (and New Jersey's) Rashan Gary, saying, "The five star defensive lineman fills perhaps the only void on Michigan's roster this fall as he brings a pass rushing presence."  For Rutgers, they see the light at the end of the tunnel.  "Better days will come on the recruiting trail for Rutgers with Chris Ash and his staff leading the way, but looking at this class [2016] Rutgers has a few nice pieces in running back Trey Sneed and athlete K.J. Gray."

Coaching: Lindy's actually comments about the new coaches at D1.  In regard to Ash:  "There's no doubt Ash, 42, has done top-shelf work coaching defenses at Wisconsin and Ohio State.  Yet now he must take Rutgers - miles behind the curve - and make it relevant in the Big Ten East division....It's a titanic job that awaits him."

Around the Big Ten: Once again, Purdue's HC Darrell Hazell is listed on the hot seat.  And once again, his huge ($4.6M) buyout might keep him on the sidelines at Ross-Ade.

When do we get to play Purdue?

Ranking Units: Needless to say, Rutgers doesn't have any unit ranked by Lindy's.  And it points out there are a lot of question marks at QB, DB, and there is not a proven "go to" receiver.  The team may be working #10Strong as a team, but nationally they're #10QuestionMarks.

We face two of the top backfields (No. 7 Washington, No. 8 Iowa) and the No. 4 receiving corps in Michigan.  The No. 10 O-line is in Columbus, while Michigan and Michigan State have the No. 2 and 5 D-lines respectively.  Ohio State (No. 3), Wisconsin (6), Michigan State (7), and Michigan (9) are tops in the B1G at the second level.  Michigan (6) and Iowa (8) have top DBs.  And for good measure, throw in No. 7 Washington's DBs to make life interesting.

All Big Ten: I'm glad Janarion Grant is around.  He makes Lindy's Second Team All-B1G as an All Purpose player.  And for the first time in our previews, another name.  Anthony Cioffi is tabbed a Third Team DB.

Of the 26 players on the All Big Ten Offensive and Defensive squads, 20 are from East Division teams.

When do we get to play Purdue?

National Rankings and the Big Ten: Ohio State leads the way here with the No. 4 pre-season spot, followed by Michigan at No. 7.  Iowa pops up at 15 and Michigan State is at 22.

The Schedule: Someone did a bad job of proofing their big game list.  For Oct. 8, Michigan at Rutgers, it says "D.J. Durkin welcomes friends from Ann Arbor, tries not to take beat-down personally."  No respect.  Of course, the week prior with Rutgers at Ohio State it reads, "Welcome back, Chris Ash.  Try not to take the beat-down personally."

They don't have Washington winning the PAC 12 North (second place) but the Huskies are ranked No. 21 overall.  Their overall comment about U-Dub? "In Year 3 under Chris Peterson - the dude can coach - Washington is ready to compete."

When do we get to play Purdue?

Interesting note: They had a list of five "ideal satellite camp locations" and No. 4 on the list was Paterson, NJ.  Really.  "Home to Garret Mountain Park, which could be the perfect setting, as the top prospect in the class of 2016, Michigan-bound Rashan Gary, is from just 20 minutes away.  Two other top-60 prospects in the '16 class are within 20 minutes, and it appears Jim Harbaugh noticed: The Wolverines signed four players from the state."  Guess they hadn't heard about Paramus Catholic.

Coming up, our final preview magazine: Sporting News

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