Kirk Herbstreit picks Rutgers as 'dark horse' for College Football Playoff out of Big Ten

Could Rutgers actually make a run to the College Football Playoff? Kirk Herbstreit thinks there’s a chance the Scarlet Knights might be in the bracket.

In a wild and new Big Ten this year, featuring 18 teams, Rutgers’ schedule is finally lax enough to consider the possibility. Coming off a 7-6 season with a Pinstripe Bowl victory, Rutgers could take a monumental leap in program history.

Herbstreit mentioned others in the Big Ten that could surprise and make the CFP, but Rutgers stood out.

“It’s weird, you think about the Big Ten, obviously, what is there now, 18 teams? You go down your list, a lot of it comes down to the schedule,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Someone is going to come out of that conference that you really didn’t expect, whether that’s an Iowa, whether that’s a — who knows with (five-star freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola) at Nebraska. Whoever has the most manageable schedule. Rutgers has a schedule that’s, by Big Ten standards and this Big Ten world that we’re in, they can make a little bit of a run.”

Rutgers does not play the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State for the first time since it joined the Big Ten. Scarlet Knights fans are likely pretty relieved at that notion.

Rutgers Football schedule

Howard (H)
Akron (H)
BYE
Virginia Tech (A)
Washington (H)
Nebraska (A)
Wisconsin (H)
UCLA (H)
USC (A)
BYE
Minnesota (H)
Maryland (A)
Illinois (H)
Michigan State (A)

Full details of the schedule can be seen HERE.

“I didn’t come out of retirement to go to a bowl game,” Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano said at Big Ten Media Days. “I came out of retirement to win a championship at Rutgers. Hopefully we’ll do that.”

Schiano is 87-95 overall in two stints with Rutgers, including 19-28 in his second go ‘round. He led the team to its first winning season since 2014 with a 7-6 mark in 2023.

The present shows Rutgers has a lot back, including Big Ten leading rusher Kyle Monangai, transfer quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and 10 starters back from a Top 20 defense from last season.

“As I’ve talked to our people about, we’ve been filling the pipeline since we got there with quality young men, quality football players, and I believe now the pipeline is close to being full,” Schiano said. “Although some of it is young still. We have an experienced group at the end of the pipeline. We’re going to have a lot of NFL players that come out of this season.

“To me any time we’ve had great teams at Rutgers, they’ve been made up of NFL players. I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited about it.”