Here is part three of a 12-part series in which we count down Michigan Wolverines football's 2021 strength of schedule from the easiest game (12) to the most difficult contest (1). Checking in at No. 10 is Michigan's homecoming game and Big Ten opener against Rutgers on Sept. 25.
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Head Coach: Greg Schiano (2nd season) — 3-6 last season, 71-73 overall (.490)
Recruiting Rankings
2017 — 43rd
2018 — 58th
2019 — 53rd
2020 — 67th
2021 — 38th
2020 Record: 3-6
Coming into the 2020 season, Rutgers hadn't notched a Big Ten win since the 2017 campaign. The Scarlet Knights were able to buck that trend right away, winning at Michigan State in week one to get off to a nice start to Schiano's first season back as the team's head coach.
Rutgers then lost four-straight games, including a triple-overtime thriller to Michigan, 48-42, before rebounding to beat Purdue and Maryland late in the year to go 3-6.
The Scarlet Knights were rough on both sides of the ball last season, finishing 106th in total offense and 104th in total defense.
Did You Know?
• Schiano was the head coach in Piscataway from 2001-11 and was the Big East Coach of the Year in 2006. The Scarlet Knights won eight or more games during five of those 11 seasons.
• Despite being two of the oldest programs in the country, Michigan and Rutgers hadn't played each other until the 2014 season, Rutgers' first in the Big Ten. The Wolverines lost the first meeting under former head coach Brady Hoke, but have since won six straight in the series.
• Michigan dominated the series from 2015-19, with the Wolverines outscoring the Scarlet Knights by a score of 256-37 in those five meetings.
2021 Preview
Rutgers' 3-6 season was a significant step up from what it was previously doing before Schiano arrived, with the head coach bringing in plenty of players via the transfer portal, including four so far this offseason. He's also recruiting high school prospects at a high level, with his 2020 haul checking in as the program's best since 2012. The trajectory is looking up in Piscataway.
While Rutgers' offense mustered up just 195 yards per game through the air last season (99th nationally), it should be much improved this year, with redshirt sophomore quarterback Noah Vedral, a former Nebraska transfer, in his second year with the program. It will take quite a bit for another signal-caller to unseat him as the starter, considering he passed for 1,253 yards and nine touchdowns last season, completing 61.5 percent of his attempts (he also threw eight interceptions).
Serving as a safety cushion — and also as a dynamic weapon — will be senior wideout Bo Melton, who was an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick last season and led the club in receiving with 47 catches for 638 yards and six scores. The teams leading rusher, junior running back Isaih Pacheco, also returns, after carrying it 116 times for 515 yards and three touchdowns last season.
All in all, the Scarlet Knight offense brings back all 11 offensive starters from last season, including junior left tackle Raiqwon O'Neal, who was also an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2020.
Defensively, the Scarlet Knights bring back eight starters and will be led by senior linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, a first-team All-Big Ten standout last season who led the squad in tackles (101) and stops for loss (11.0) last season. Fellow senior linebacker Tyshon Fogg was second on the team in tackles with 70, while also making 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Rutgers has a solid duo of starting cornerbacks in senior Tre Avery, a third-team All-Big Ten performer in 2020, and junior Avery Young, with the two combining for 10 pass breakups last season. One safety spot is also solidified, with junior Christian Izien, an All-Big Ten honorable mention, having made four interceptions, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and 66 tackles last season.
The Scarlet Knights look ripe to improve, but the question is, how much better will they be, and will it be enough to propel them into the top four in the Big Ten East?
Why No. 10 In The Countdown?
While Rutgers is set to be better than last season, and certainly a more talented team than they have been for the better part of a decade, the Scarlet Knights are still one of the 'easier' games on Michigan's loaded schedule. In addition, this one will be played at home in front of a homecoming crowd, and the Wolverines will be fresh off a likely win against Northern Illinois in a 'tune-up game.'
Even though it's one of the least difficult games on the slate — and predicted to be the 'easiest' of the Big Ten contests — Rutgers will likely give Michigan a challenge. The Scarlet Knights were up 17-0 on the Wolverines in Piscataway last season and were able to score on the Maize and Blue's defense throughout the entirety of the game, into triple overtime.
This isn't a slam dunk win — we're not sure that there are many for Michigan this season — but if the Wolverines are better than they were last season, this should be a victory.
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