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I was strangely calm after the game. Maybe because I wasn’t all that surprised. I saw this game as the perfect storm for a Wisconsin drubbing. I predicted Wisconsin to win 38-13 and got some flack for this prediction.
But watching Wisconsin play the past few weeks, it was pretty clear that their lines on both sides of the ball were in a league that the Scarlet Knights have yet to remotely approach. Football is a game of match-ups which is why Rutgers can beat Illinois last Saturday after Illinois beat Penn State the previous Saturday and dismantled a good Minnesota team this past weekend.
As fans, the challenge is to keep focus on the big picture. Greg Schiano and his talented staff are building an infrastructure that down the road will pay dividends. And yes, I know this is the absolute last thing Rutgers fans want to read right now. But it is true.
It doesn’t matter how great the coaching is. If you don’t have the players, all things being equal, you are usually going to lose to the team with better players, nine times out of ten.
We have a top 30 recruiting class coming in ahead of next season. That’s a start. With the transfer portal being what it is, if Greg Schiano can’t convince a handful of top tier players to play at a first rate university, a stones throw from one of the greatest cities in the world, then there might be reason to be concerned that this ship won’t be righted any time soon. Regardless, it is going to take time. It’s just a question of how long? Even so, that doesn’t mean to give up on this season.
Indiana is down to its last scholarship player at quarterback and was down to walk-ons in the running game last weekend. They are 0-6 in Big Ten play. If Noah Vedral cannot answer the call next Saturday, it is time to play Gavin Wimsatt and see what he can do. Indiana is a very winnable game and so is Maryland to end the season.
I am still hopeful for a bowl game this season. That is why I am not ready to jump off of the roof of a building just yet.