Rutgers Predicted to finish 13th in Big Ten Preseason Media Poll
With Big Ten Conference Media Days set to kick off starting tomorrow out in Las Vegas, that means the annual Big Ten preseason poll is finally here.
Unlike other conference, the Big Ten Conference doesn’t have an official preseason media poll, but Cleveland.com has assumed that role as the officially unofficial preseason poll and the poll dropped on Monday morning.
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Rutgers Football checks in tied at 13th in the poll alongside Michigan State. This is a slight fall from last year, where the Scarlet Knights were projected to finish ninth and they just that, finishing with an overall record of 7-6 and a conference record of 4-5, while making the 2024 Rate Bowl.
Despite the lower projection for the 2025 season, the Scarlet Knights built quite the roster this offseason, bringing in a Top 10 Transfer Portal haul per the Rivals Industry rankings. That haul is headlined by two top tier edge rushers in Eric O’Neill from James Madison and Bradley Weaver from Ohio, who could combine to create the best pass rush duo for the Scarlet Knights in a long time.
Along with that, Rutgers also returns a large majority of the offense and that include quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis who put up the best season from a Scarlet Knights QB since Gary Nova, producing 2,696 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
According to the poll, Penn State is projected to win the Big Ten Championship, following by Ohio State in second, Oregon in third, Illinois in fourth and Michigan at fifth.
Full 2025 Big Ten Preseason Media Days Poll
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. Iowa
8. Nebraska
9. USC
10. Washington
11. Minnesota
12. Wisconsin
13. Michigan State
14. Rutgers
15. UCLA
16. Maryland
17. Northwestern
18. Purdue
This shouldn’t be considered too much of a shock considering that the Scarlet Knights have one of the toughest schedules in the country, welcoming Penn State (1), Oregon (3) and Iowa (7), to Piscataway this season. While also hitting the road to take on Ohio State (2), Illinois (4) and Washington (10).
Rutgers Football will open the 2025 season against Ohio on August 28th at home, with kickoff set for 6:00pm on FOX.