Rutgers will beat Fresno State

Forget about Fresno State being ranked #25 in the coaches’ pre-season poll or about the Bulldogs have more “others receiving votes” than Rutgers in the A-P poll.  Forget about Fresno State having a fine quarterback in Tom Brandstater.  Forget about Sports Illustrated picking them to finish 10-2 overall and 8-0 in the WAC.  This one on Labor Day Monday is about a veteran Scarlet Knight team having the home field advantage in front of a sold-out Rutgers Stadium, thus the five-point favored status on the betting lines.  I’m a firm believer that, heading into any football season, the home team with a veteran nucleus…particularly a returning starting senior quarterback…is the logical pick.  QB Mike Teel will pick apart a Fresno State defense hard hit by graduation…getting the ball downfield to the likes of Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood.  And, despite the loss of the great Ray Rice, coach Greg Schiano has enough quality running backs to produce a more-than-adequate rushing game by committee.  As for the defense, there’s enough returning depth to be able to contain Brandstater and Company.  So, my pick for the season opener is Rutgers 27  Fresno State 24.  No, the Scarlet Knights don’t cover the spread but the difference will be a field goal by San San Te, who will begin his tenure as Jeremy Ito’s successor on a winning note. 

Enjoy the game and have a safe Labor Day holiday weekend!

CHECK BACK IN MONDAY NIGHT FOR MY TAKE ON WHAT HAPPENED IN THE R-U SEASON OPENER!

My Fearless Predictions for the 2008 Rutgers Football Season

Here we go.  Here are my predictions for the upcoming Rutgers Scarlet Knight football season game-by-game:

Fresno State—a close win over a very good team based on the home field advantage before a packed Rutgers Stadium

North Carolina—Head coach Butch Davis continues to upgrade the Tar Heels’ program but Rutgers will have enough to win another one at home

At Navy—When the Scarlet Knights head down to Annapolis on September 20th, new Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo will still be trying to work out the kinks…so I pick R-U to win a close, tough road game

Morgan State—A no-brainer

At West Virginia—Premature thoughts of a perfect season and a Big East championship quickly go out the window in a loss against the Top-Ten Mountaineers

At Cincinnati—For the second straight trip to the Queen City, Rutgers is handed a tough loss by the scrappy Bearcats

Connecticut—The Scarlet Knights break their two-game losing streak with their first league win

At Pittsburgh—Panther head coach Dave Wannstedt continues to upgrade his talent thru outstanding recruiting and it will pay off today.  Rutgers loses another tough league road game

Syracuse—The Scarlet Knights run roughshod again over a weak Orange squad

At South Florida—For the first time, R-U falls to the Bulls’ talented quarterback Matt Grothe

Army—Rutgers blows out the inferior Cadets

Louisville—The Knights close out the regular season with a big Big East home victory over the Cardinals

***That computes out to an 8-4 regular season…3-4 in the Big East…and a mid-level bowl game.

***So what do you think about my prediction?  Chime in with yours and we’ll compare notes.

***Coming on Friday, I’ll give my detailed prediction and final score for Monday’s season opener against Fresno State.

Welcome to my new blog!!!

WCTC enters into a new world today…the world of blogging!  Beginning today, you can interact with me regarding all that goes on in Rutgers University athletics.  If you are not familiar with me, I’ve been at WCTC for 28-years, closely following Scarlet Knight sports during that period.  You may know me from doing the R-U football play-by-play from 1986 thru 2000…and Scarlet Knight men’s and women’s basketball play-by-play from 1985 thru 2008.  I recently gained a lot of notoriety by being dropped from my Rutgers basketball gig this past June.  It’s a bummer for me BUT it’s also an opportunity to join you on this blog and look at Scarlet Knights sports with an impartial viewpoint.  So, let’s talk about good old R-U!

First up tomorrow will be my predictions for the upcoming 2008 Rutgers football season.  Stay tuned.