Both Rutgers and Northwestern had hopes of making some noise in the Big Ten this year, but neither team has done much in conference play this season. In fact, these two teams are a combined 0-5 in Big Ten competition during the 2021 season.
But one of them is going to get a win when they play one another on Saturday, with the winner set to move out of the basement of the Big Ten at the midway point of the college football season.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers started this season at 3-0, winning three straight non-conference matchups before heading into Big Ten play. But their schedule within the conference has been brutal, with the Scarlet Knights playing three straight ranked teams in Michigan, Ohio State, and Michigan State. Rutgers has lost all three of those games convincingly and will look to rebound this week against a much more manageable foe in Northwestern.
In this contest, look for Rutgers to lean on its defense to set the tone for the game. Rutgers is allowing just over 22 points per game this season, which isn’t bad when you consider that they have played three of the top programs in the Big Ten in back-to-back-to-back games over their last three contests.
Against a team that has really struggled to put points on the board in Northwestern, Rutgers’ defensive intensity will determine how their afternoon goes.
Northwestern Wildcats
This season has not gone well for Northwestern, as they enter this matchup with Rutgers with zero Power Five wins on the season so far. With in-conference losses to Michigan State and Nebraska and a loss out of conference to Duke, the Wildcats’ only wins this season have come against Indiana State and Ohio. If Northwestern wants to get into the win column in Big Ten play, it will have to be better on both sides of the ball.
Last time out, Northwestern was beaten 56-7 on the road against Nebraska. They allowed an eye-popping 657 total yards in that game while failing to gain 300 yards on offense. For Northwestern to avoid going winless in the Big Ten this season, Northwestern cannot allow lower-tier teams like Nebraska or Rutgers to outgain them so substantially.
Get Right Game For Rutgers
Rutgers enters this game as a two-point favorite against Northwestern, and they have a great shot to get their first win in conference play here. The Scarlet Knights are much better defensively than Northwestern and are just good enough on offense to where they should be able to get rolling against a Northwestern team that has been a disaster when it comes to slowing down their opposition.
If there is an argument to be made in favor of Northwestern here, it is that they should come out with a sense of urgency. The Wildcats have Michigan on their schedule next and will know that a loss here would mean at least another game before they had a realistic shot to pick up their first win in conference play.
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