Should Rutgers drop to I-AA?
Steve Casburn
In light of the impending breakup of the Big East, I would argue
that it is time for Rutgers to consider dropping down to Division I-AA
and requesting membership in the Patriot League.
I suggest this move for three reasons:
1. The breakup of the Big East leaves Rutgers without an obvious
conference home in Division I-A, and Rutgers lacks the program strength
and fan support they would need to be a successful independent.
2. Rutgers has had no success in football since Division I-A began.
Since 1978, Rutgers has gotten six wins against I-A opponents in a
season only three times (1984, 1987, 1992), and has never gotten more
than six I-A wins in a season.
In the 25 seasons Rutgers has played since 1978, the Scarlet
Knights have beaten I-A teams with winning records a total of 13 times;
or, once every two seasons. Four of those wins came in one year (1984),
and only one has happened in the last eight seasons:
1978 Rutgers 13, Temple (7-3-1) 10
1979 Rutgers 13, Tennessee (7-5) 7
1984 Rutgers 10, Temple (6-5) 9
Rutgers 19, Syracuse (6-5) 0
Rutgers 14, Army (8-3-1) 7
Rutgers 23, West Virginia (9-3) 19
1986 Rutgers 11, Boston College (9-3) 9
Rutgers 35, Army (6-5) 7
1988 Rutgers 17, Michigan State (6-5-1) 13
1992 Rutgers 13, West Virginia (5-4-2) 9
1993 Rutgers 45, Army (6-5) 38
1994 Rutgers 17, West Virginia (7-6) 12
1999 Rutgers 24, Syracuse (7-5) 21
3. Most of Rutgers' traditional rivals are in I-AA or lower.
The three teams Rutgers has played 70 times or more (Lehigh,
Lafayette, and Princeton) are all in I-AA. Lehigh and Lafayette both
play in the Patriot League.
Of the four teams that Rutgers has played between 40 and 69 times,
two (Columbia and Colgate) are in I-AA and two (NYU and Stevens Tech) no
longer compete in football.
Only in the third rank of traditional rivals -- Syracuse (32),
Temple (31), and Army (31) -- do we see Division I-A opponents, but the
latter two of those teams should probably also drop to Division I-AA.
I can think of no good reason for Rutgers to continue to attempt
to compete in Division I-A. The Scarlet Knights' last great season was
in 1976, and they will never have another one at this level. The school
would be a good fit in the Patriot League, and would probably be
welcomed with open arms. Returning to a natural level of competition
(and playing familiar foes, and winning more often) would probably also
make Rutgers football a more attractive ticket for alumni and local fans.
I hope that the Rutgers Athletic Department will use the
opportunity of the Big East breakup to give a proposal to drop down to
Division I-AA in football the consideration it deserves.
Steve
--
Steve Casburn <cas...@io.com>
"Shut up he explained" - Ring Lardner, Jr.
Jacob Howlett
@text.giganews.com:
>
>
> In light of the impending breakup of the Big East, I would argue
> that it is time for Rutgers to consider dropping down to Division I-AA
> and requesting membership in the Patriot League.
>
>
>
Assuming the Big East does break-up (I think it's up in the air at this
point), I agree that Rutgers should drop to 1-AA.
On a side note, I was just reading where there may be some shady doings w/
in their athletic department that the NCAA is looking into. Maybe all the
more reason they should make the plunge to 1-AA?
lein
Cue Vijay
> would be a good fit in the Patriot League, and would probably be
> welcomed with open arms. Returning to a natural level of competition
> (and playing familiar foes, and winning more often) would probably
also
> make Rutgers football a more attractive ticket for alumni and local
fans.
>
> I hope that the Rutgers Athletic Department will use the
> opportunity of the Big East breakup to give a proposal to drop down to
> Division I-AA in football the consideration it deserves.
>
>
R U or have you ever been a member of the RU1000 club (they want a
Colonial League membership)?
http://members.aol.com/rutg1000/revere.htm
--
John Leinaweaver
Oscar Lanzi III
making a comeback in the battle, and I've even seen on the BE boards
that the ACC might itself be subject to losses if the expansion does not
go through.
If Rutgers is that bad, perhaps the BE can dump Rutgers to a lower-level
conference like the MAC or USA, even as they bring Louisville in?
--OL
Steve Casburn
lein <jo...@spammer.die> wrote:
>
> R U or have you ever been a member of the RU1000 club (they want a
> Colonial League membership)?
>
> http://members.aol.com/rutg1000/revere.htm
They seem kinda bitter...
xyzzy
people who have been there have told me is a really nice place to go and
watch your team beat Rutgers. I doubt they are ready to throw that
away yet.
lein
> RU recently invested some serious bucks in a football facility that
> people who have been there have told me is a really nice place to go
> and watch your team beat Rutgers. I doubt they are ready to throw
> that away yet.
>
I, as a New Jersey taxpayer, contributed serious bucks in a football
facility. The result, Miami or no Miami, they still draw 15-25K a game.
--
John Leinaweaver
xyzzy
I'm in the same boat as a North Carolina taxpayer with NCSU's basketball
arena, so I feel yer pain (as probably do taxpayers in almost every state).
lein
I got smart and left the Garden State, a State best viewed in a rear
view mirror.
--
John Leinaweaver
Samuel Fang
I, as a Virginia taxpayer, do not contribute a single cent to the
athletic facilities at the University of Virginia, nor (as a taxpayer)
contribute a single penny to the athletic facilities at Virginia Tech.
As a private citizen, of course, I contribute a fair amount to the
facilities at VT.
And yes, RU's stadium is absolutely beautiful, and it *is* a wonderful
place to see your team beat up the Scarlet Knights.
--
Samuel Fang
sf...@ntelos.net
"In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did
succeed in making those idiots understand their language." - Mark Twain
Jon Enslin
> Has Mike Dahmus *plonked* you, xyzzy <inv...@addr.com> ?
>
>
>>lein wrote:
>>
>>>inv...@addr.com wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>RU recently invested some serious bucks in a football facility that
>>>>people who have been there have told me is a really nice place to go
>>>>and watch your team beat Rutgers. I doubt they are ready to throw
>>>>that away yet.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>I, as a New Jersey taxpayer, contributed serious bucks in a football
>>>facility. The result, Miami or no Miami, they still draw 15-25K a game.
>>>
>>>
>>I'm in the same boat as a North Carolina taxpayer with NCSU's basketball
>>arena, so I feel yer pain (as probably do taxpayers in almost every state).
>>
>
> I, as a Virginia taxpayer, do not contribute a single cent to the
> athletic facilities at the University of Virginia, nor (as a taxpayer)
> contribute a single penny to the athletic facilities at Virginia Tech.
> As a private citizen, of course, I contribute a fair amount to the
> facilities at VT.
As a resident of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, outside of road
relocation, have not spent a dime on any of the major stadium project
for the pro or college sports teams in this state.
Jon
--
"It seems all you can do is step on our collective joy whenever Canada
achieves a milestone in sports." - rob
Mark Hasty
<enslinjREMOVE...@uww.edu>?:
Yes, but do you have to buy reformulated gas?
--mh
------
Mark Hasty has...@charter.not (net)
The Bemusement Park: http://www.markhasty.com
" ."--Calvin Coolidge
Jon Enslin
Nope. I can pollute at will.
David Loewe, Jr.
wrote:
>Has Mike Dahmus *plonked* you, xyzzy <inv...@addr.com> ?
>>lein wrote:
>>> inv...@addr.com wrote:
>>>
>>>>RU recently invested some serious bucks in a football facility that
>>>>people who have been there have told me is a really nice place to go
>>>>and watch your team beat Rutgers. I doubt they are ready to throw
>>>>that away yet.
>>>>
>>> I, as a New Jersey taxpayer, contributed serious bucks in a football
>>> facility. The result, Miami or no Miami, they still draw 15-25K a game.
>>>
>>I'm in the same boat as a North Carolina taxpayer with NCSU's basketball
>>arena, so I feel yer pain (as probably do taxpayers in almost every state).
>
>I, as a Virginia taxpayer, do not contribute a single cent to the
>athletic facilities at the University of Virginia, nor (as a taxpayer)
>contribute a single penny to the athletic facilities at Virginia Tech.
>As a private citizen, of course, I contribute a fair amount to the
>facilities at VT.
>
>And yes, RU's stadium is absolutely beautiful, and it *is* a wonderful
>place to see your team beat up the Scarlet Knights.
I think Rutsgers is going to recruit a little bowling ball of a RB
and win some big games. But, hey, hindsight is 20/20.
--
"Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage amongst his books.
For to you Kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring,
but to him they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned by the
flicking of a finger."
- LESSONS: Anonymous