Gasparilla Bowl? After 2-0 start, Rutgers’ latest projection includes SEC showdown

Published Sep. 11, 2023, 10:36 a.m.
By Patrick Lanni
It’s a crazy time for college football. That was the theme for this week’s bowl projections.
Alabama? Out of a New Year’s Six Bowl.
College Football Playoff? How about the Texas Longhorns for the first time.
Three Pac-12 teams playing on New Year’s Day? Check.
A decade-long streak of losing seasons for Rutgers? Snapped.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy went bold with his projections this week. In the process, he gave Rutgers a major boost after the Scarlet Knights jumped out to 2-0 following Saturday’s 36-7 win over Temple.
Rutgers has not reached a bowl game through the traditional route — finishing .500 or better — since the 2014 season, a campaign they concluded with a victory over North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl. That skid will end this December in a major way, according to McMurphy and several other media outlets.
McMurphy’s Week 3 bowl projections have Rutgers taking on Auburn in the Gasparilla Bowl, which is scheduled for Dec. 22 in Tampa, Florida. If that prediction comes to fruition it would mark the first-ever bowl game against an SEC opponent for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have played in 11 bowl games, dating back to its debut in the 1978 Garden State Bowl.
At least three other experts think the Scarlet Knights will be playing in their 12th bowl game.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura included Rutgers for the second week in a row. Both are familiar destinations. Schlabach has Rutgers playing Ohio in the Quick Lane Bowl. Bonagura, meanwhile, has Rutgers heading to the Pinstripe Bowl to take on North Carolina.
Brad Crawford of 247sports also likes Rutgers for the Pinstripe Bowl but has the Scarlet Knights taking on Louisville.
For Rutgers’ senior leaders, reaching a bowl game is a major goal for their final season.
“It’s kind of bowl game or bust for me,” sixth-year senior tight end Johnny Langan said during Big Ten Media Days in July. “It’s my last go-around here at Rutgers so I just know that I’ll do anything in my power to make that happen. I’m hopeful for more than just a 6-6 season. I’m just excited to get after it. I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year. This team is a lot different than ones I’ve been on in the past. Just the energy, we’re really taking accountability for each other. We’ve been building this up for four years. We think we have everything in place, and we’re ready to go.”
The Scarlet Knights will try to improve to 3-0 Saturday when they take on Virginia Tech. The 3:30 kickoff at SHI Stadium in Piscataway will be aired on Big Ten Network.