Just when you thought that the Rutgers football team's season ended back on Nov. 27 after a loss to Maryland on SHI Stadium, the Scarlet Knights, in a surprising twist, appear to be headed to Jacksonville, Fla. to play in the Gator Bowl.
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Wake Forest, which is ranked No. 17 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings and No. 20 in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll, will be Rutgers' opponent.
Texas A&M had to back out due to a COVID outbreak.
The game is set for 11 a.m. on Dec. 31 from TIAA Bank Field.
With that said, here are a few thoughts and questions regarding the whole ordeal.
Has Rutgers been training or practicing?
The short answer is yes, but how much and until when. Rutgers' season ended almost a month ago at this point. The one thing to look back on is head coach Greg Schiano's answer about the plan in place for the near future during his final post game press conference of the year.
"I have a plan in place for our team. They need to rest right now, but that doesn't mean we're shutting her down. We've got work to do," Schiano said. "When I first arrived here years ago in December of 2000, I'll never forget, I called some of the players, and I said, what do you guys -- what were you planning on doing? Well, this is finals time. Now, mind you, it wasn't finals time. Finals weren't for two weeks. I said, finals time? I said, you are telling me you study the whole time? That's baloney.
"We need to work out. We need to continue to train. We need to continue to do the things because the programs that we're chasing, they're practicing, so we will have our December plan in place, and then when we get to finals, we'll adjust it accordingly. Then they'll get a rest regardless of what happens, and then we'll start back in January, so there's contingency plans for everything, but it's clearly marked."
Will Rutgers be ready and who will play?
Many players on social media on Wednesday night were posting about packing bags and that they are ready to practice and will be ready for the game. But who will be on the roster? Players like Isaih Pacheco, Julius Turner, Bo Melton, and Olakunle Fatukasi have begin NFL Draft training or are preparing to play in various senior showcase games coming up. You could see a flurry of younger guys play. The coaching staff is also missing a few pieces like a defensive coordinator at this time. The game, as of this posting, takes place in just eight days. Thursday marks the last day for final exams.
A look at Wake Forest
On the surface, Wake Forest has turned its program around in recent years and is 10-3. The Demon Deacons own the No. 11-ranked offense in the nation and features quarterback Sam Hartman, who threw for 3,9254 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2021. He was on the Netflix show "QB1". Wake Forest is also fifth in the country in scoring averaging 41.2 points per game. The Scarlet Knights may feel like they are in a no-lose situation, but it will have to come out and be ready. Wake Forest has practiced the whole time.
Book smart
Rutgers is this position right now because it is the No. 1 team on the top of the list of 5-7 for Academic Progress Rating scores. The NCAA hasn't released the list, but the Scarlet Knights are believed to be first in the pecking order. If bowl games cannot fill enough slots with bowl-eligible teams, it dips into the 5-7 ranks based on the previous year's APR numbers. Kudos for Rutgers for doing work in the classroom.
The Gavin Wimsatt factor
Wimsatt, the freshman quarterback who enrolled in September, can play in the contest and still preserve his redshirt as he only played in three games. It came in to question why Evan Simon took over for Noah Vedral in the regular season finale and not Wimsatt, but now the signal caller who is Rutgers' future might have the keys against the Demon Deacons. How much he plays though is the real question not will he play.
From Detroit to Jacksonville
If Rutgers got to 6-6 and defeated Maryland, it likely would have spent December 27th in Detroit, MI. for the Quick Lane Bowl, the site of the last time it made a bowl game in 2014. But instead, at 5-7, Rutgers heads to sunny and warmer Florida on New Year's Eve. Go figure.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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