The Indiana Hoosiers have the luxury of playing their first four games of the new season at home. Their first road contest doesn't come until Week 5 on October 3 when they visit Rutgers.
Rutgers finished last season with a 5-7 overall record and went just 2-7 in Big Ten play. Head coach Greg Schiano is entering his 7th season back at Rutgers, and he is still looking to find the glory that he helped Rutgers reach during his first stint.
SHI Stadium in Piscataway is sure to be rocking when the defending national champs come to town, but Hoosier fans have plenty of faith in Curt Cignetti and company. With that being said, Indiana can't be fooled by what Schiano and the Scarlet Knights may try to do.
Greg Schiano’s second Rutgers stint has fallen short of his first
From 2001-11, Schiano led Rutgers to new heights. He led the Scarlet Knights to 7+ wins on six different occasions, and finished the 2006 season ranked No. 12 in the country. He also won five consecutive bowl games from 2006-11 before departing for the NFL.
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Since returning to Piscataway in 2020, Schiano is 31-41 and owns a less-than-ideal record of 15-39 against Big Ten competition. He's won more than three Big Ten games just once (2024), and faces another uphill battle this season.
Rutgers' offense depends on preventing turnovers
Last season, the Rutgers offense posted decent numbers. The Scarlet Knights featured a strong passing attack that ranked 3rd in the Big Ten with 266.2 passing yards per game.
Athan Kaliakmanis is off to the NFL, but Boston College transfer QB Dylan Lonergan has plenty of experience and should be able to step right in with relative comfort. Leading rusher Antwan Raymond racked up 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he is back for Rutgers in 2026. Leading receiver KJ Duff is also back after collecting 60 catches for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns last season.
The explosive plays aren't always there, but Rutgers does a good job of protecting the football. They committed just 11 total turnovers last season, which was tied for the 9th-fewest in all of college football. When the Hoosiers head to Piscataway, winning the turnover battle will be huge.
Indiana must avoid being caught off guard by Rutgers’ approach
The meeting between the Hoosiers and Scarlet Knights will be Cignetti's first matchup against Rutgers as the head coach at Indiana.
Rutgers doesn't play a flashy style of football. Schiano-led teams like to slow things down, force opponents to play at their pace, control the clock, and maybe even make things a little ugly. That formula has yielded underwhelming results for Schiano in his second stint at Rutgers, but it also has a chance to make Indiana a little uncomfortable, especially on the road for the first time.
With that being said, this matchup is far from an intimidating one for Indiana. Cignetti has lost just one Big Ten game over two seasons at Indiana, and he has mastered winning the games he is supposed to by wide margins. Cignetti gives IU a considerable coaching advantage over Schiano, and he should have his team well-prepared and ready to roll.
Given Rutger's slowed-down approach, this may be a lower-scoring game. But in the end, Indiana should be able to take care of business.
Indiana vs Rutgers score prediction
Indiana: 27
Rutgers: 10
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