Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers holds a unique place in football history as the birthplace of the college game, a legacy the Scarlet Knights carry proudly into every matchup at SHI Stadium in Piscataway. Joining the Big Ten in 2014 gave the New Jersey program a bigger national stage and access to premier recruiting grounds in the Northeast. Scarlet and black have become a fixture of Big Ten East battles as Rutgers works to build sustained competitiveness in college football's toughest conference.

Rutgers and Princeton played the first intercollegiate football game on November 6, 1869, a contest Rutgers won 6-4, giving the program its place at the very origin of the sport. The Scarlet Knights spent much of the 20th century outside the sport's power conferences before joining the Big East and later the Big Ten in 2014. Rutgers' 2006 season, capped by an Insight Bowl win and a No. 12 national ranking under coach Greg Schiano, marked the program's modern breakthrough into national relevance.