Rutgers Football continues to promise its fans change. Where are the results?

Is Rutgers Football cursed?

Despite being the birthplace of college football, the Scarlet Knights haven’t been very good.

Rutgers Football holds a 30-94 record against Big Ten opponents over the past decade. The team continues to face challenges when it comes to quarterback play, defensive play, and finding the right head coach and staff to lead this team to the playoffs.

Currently, Greg Schiano leads the Scarlet Knights; it hasn’t been a great tenure for the head coach.

Rutgers plays in one of the best conferences in college football, the Big Ten, but has not appeared in the college football playoff or CFB rankings.

Rutgers has never appeared in the CFB rankings, which began in 2014. The last time Rutgers was ranked in the AP Top 25 was Sep. 23, 2012, when the Scarlet Knights were ranked No.23.

Year after year, Rutgers fans see talent come through Rutgers. Seeing coaches get to ShI Stadium promising a new team, a team worth representing the state and wanting to change the campus and culture surrounding them, but there has been little to nothing to show for it.

As of the 2026 season, the Scarlet Knights hold a 2-6 record with a 1-4 record in conference play. Rutgers has made three bowl appearances in the last 10 years, going 1-2 in those games.

It leaves many asking why Rutgers is so bad. Why is it the same story time and time again when it comes to this team? During the New era of college football, there still hasn’t been much change in the team, and people are asking for answers.

Fans point to the fact that Indiana was historically one of the most unsuccessful programs in college football history, regarded as a basketball school that struggled on the gridiron.

That was before Curt Cignetti was hired as the head football coach at Indiana University on November 30, 2023, taking over ahead of the 2024 season and orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history, leading them to an undefeated National Championship run in 2025.

Rutgers fans want that same feeling and believe that if Indiana can do it, why can’t New Jersey do the same? Statistically, Rutgers has been at the very bottom of the Big Ten metrics since its 2014 transition.

They are known for the winless era under head coach Chris Ash. The program went 0-27 in Big Ten play across the 2016, 2018, and 2019 seasons.

The fans are asking what the issue is. Whereas there are other teams in the Big Ten that win these big games, Rutgers is constantly below average. The state of New Jersey seems to be growing tired, and there are questions wether rutgers should even be in the Big Ten.

The funding around Rutgers remains a critical topic of discussion. Historically, the program has struggled to match the elite alumni and fundraising of the other Big Ten schools, making it difficult to acquire top-tier talent. The university has tried its best to compete with these schools but seems to have landed them in a worse situation.

The Question now is whether the institutional foundation failed to give the coaches the financial help to build a powerhouse, or if Rutgers is simply trapped in a spending race they cannot win.

Until there is change, Rutgers will continue to be the laughingstock of college football under Schiano.

There have been rumors surrounding Brian Kelly, the former Notre Dame and LSU head coach; Dan Mullen, the former Florida and Mississippi State head coach currently at UNLV, but these are just rumors. These names should be treated as speculation unless there is reporting to confirm Rutgers’ interest.

At the end of the day, there have to be answers and a change for Rutgers football.

We have seen teams like indiana, come and conquer college football by hiring Curt Cignetti, so the fans know it’s possible.

Who can take the Scarlet Knights and get them out of this dark place they have been in for so long?