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Good bye Rose Bowl, hello Carrier Dome. In a move that NJ Advance Media’s Keith Sargeant reported as a possibility last September, Rutgers has officially cancelled its two game series with UCLA in 2020 and 2021. It was first confirmed on Thursday afternoon by Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman.
#Rutgers has withdrawn from a two-game football series with #UCLA scheduled for 2020 & 2021. AD Dan Guerrero was officially informed of RU's decision to cancel the series via e-mail last Thurs. Per the agreement, Rutgers must pay UCLA a $500K termination fee w/i 30 days of demand
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 1, 2018
There is no denying that paying a $500K termination fee is a lot of money to cancel a series that was agreed upon when Greg Schiano was still the head coach of Rutgers. Sargeant did examine the costs associated and why the move still makes sense financially. While playing in the Rose Bowl against UCLA was already marked on many fans’ calendars for 2020 as a destination road trip, current head coach Chris Ash decided to bring the schedule back to the program’s former Big East roots. First reported by James Kratch of NJ Advance Media, Rutgers announced soon after the news broke about cancelling with UCLA that those two games are being replaced with former conference rival Syracuse.
NEW RELEASE: @RFootball Adds Two-Game Series Against Syracuse. #TheHunt #TBT
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights (@RUAthletics) February 2, 2018
LINK--> https://t.co/CxvH9kgbAD pic.twitter.com/25yqFqXrW8
“Returning the Rutgers-Syracuse series, which has a long history will be exciting for both fan bases,” said head coach Chris Ash. “With our non-conference schedule, we have focused on adding games that showcase great football in this region.”
While it’s disappointing Rutgers will not play a high profile national opponent in UCLA, it’s refreshing that Ash is embracing a return to regional scheduling for non-conference games.
The head coach has been criticized in the past for not fully embracing the past history of the program, but he has made two moves this off-season that indicates that’s changing. First was the hiring of John McNulty as offensive coordinator last month, bringing back the most successful Rutgers play caller in modern history. Now, Ash has scheduled future contests with two former Big East rivals, first with a four game series with Boston College and second a two game series with Syracuse.
After Ash’s predecessors, Greg Schiano and Kyle Flood, opted for west coast opponents like Fresno State, Washington State, Washington, and UCLA, the current head coach has shifted the future non-conference schedules significantly. Now that the Big Ten switched to a nine game regular season, in addition to arguably playing in the most difficult division in college football, Ash clearly has a different philosophy. He did inherit other future regional games with former Big East foes Virginia Tech and Temple, but by adding Boston College and Syracuse, it’s clear he believes that is the right direction to take moving forward.
Although fans have complained about past home games against FCS schools and future games against the likes of Liberty and Texas State, the strength of schedule by playing in the Big Ten East is very difficult for a rebuilding program like Rutgers. This past season, even with Morgan State and Eastern Michigan on the non-conference schedule, Rutgers still finished with the third most difficult overall schedule out of 130 FBS schools.
From Michigan’s gauntlet to Oregon’s cakewalk, my 2018 Strength of Schedule Rankings: pic.twitter.com/CoAlFYGrMD
— Matt Smith (@MattSmithCFB) January 16, 2018
Here is a quick look at the past two seasons of non-conference opponents for Rutgers since the Big Ten went to a nine game schedule, as well as the next six seasons of future non-conference schedules, which have been mostly designed by current head coach Chris Ash.
2016: At Washington, Howard, New Mexico
2017: Washington, Eastern Michigan, Morgan State
2018: Texas State, At Kansas, Buffalo
2019: UMASS, Boston College, Liberty
2020: Syracuse, At Temple
2021: At Syracuse, Temple
2022: At Boston College, At Temple
2023: Temple, Virginia Tech, Ohio
One more opponent needs to still be added for the 2020 through the 2023 seasons. Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Kansas State are also on future schedules dating as far ahead as 2031.
The reality is that with the latest move to play Syracuse over UCLA, Ash is setting up less taxing road trips, while tapping into former rivalries that give Rutgers a more realistic chance to win in the short term future.
Here is a full look at the next four season schedules for Rutgers Football:
2018
Sept 1 Texas State
Sept. 8 At Ohio State
Sept 15 At Kansas
Sept. 22 Buffalo
Sept. 29 Indiana
Oct. 6 Illinois
Oct. 13 At Maryland
Oct. 20 Northwestern
Oct. 27 BYE
Nov. 3 at Wisconsin
Nov. 10 Michigan
Nov. 17 Penn State
Nov. 24 At Michigan State
2019
Aug. 31 UMass
Sept. 7 At Iowa
Sept. 14 BYE
Sept. 21 Boston College
Sept. 28 At Michigan
Oct. 5 Maryland
Oct. 12 At Indiana
Oct. 19 Minnesota
Oct. 26 Liberty
Nov. 2 At Illinois
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 Ohio State
Nov. 23 Michigan State
Nov. 30 At Penn State
2020
Sept 5 Team TBD
Sept 12 Syracuse
Sept 19 At Temple
Sept 26 At Ohio State
Oct 3 Illinois
Oct 10 At Purdue
Oct 17 Indiana
Oct 24 Nebraska
Oct 31 At Maryland
Nov 7 BYE
Nov 14 Michigan
Nov 21 At Michigan State
Nov 28 Penn State
2021
Sept 4 Temple
Sept 11 At Syracuse
Sept 18 Team TBD/OPEN
Sept 25 At Michigan
Oct 2 BYE
Oct 9 Maryland
Oct 16 At Indiana
Oct 23 Ohio State
Oct 30 At Illinois
Nov 6 Wisconsin
Nov 13 At Northwestern
Nov 20 Michigan State
Nov 27 At Penn State
Poll
Do You Like The Scheduling Shift From Pac-12 Opponents To Regional Foes?
This poll is closed
-
31%
Yes
-
20%
No
-
30%
Yes, adding Syracuse & BC makes the most sense
-
17%
Yes, but I’d like to see SEC or Big 12 opponents in the future