Rutgers Can Send Important Message in This ‘Trap Game,’ Experts Say

All the ingredients are there for a classic: a jubilant local crowd, dressed entirely in black, for a night match against a top opponent.

Add to that this new development: This year’s “Blackout” at Rutgers may well be the biggest “trap game” of the season for the University of Washington. Or at least, that’s what college football website 247Sports analyzed last week as part of its preseason buildup.

Here’s an excerpt from writer Carter Bahns, who thinks the two teams could have a combined record of 7-0 heading into the Sept. 27 showdown in Piscataway.

Expectations for Washington in Year 1 under Jedd Fisch are far more modest than those produced by Kalen DeBoer heading into his trip to the 2023 national championship game. Still, the Huskies have a chance to open the year 4-0 heading into their first road game of the season. The Big Ten road opener is also a doozy, as it sends Washington as far away from Seattle as possible to play Rutgers — perhaps the team’s toughest opponent yet. The Scarlet Knights are expected to field one of the stingiest defenses in the conference, which bodes ill for a UW team built on quarterback Will Rogers and the passing game.

Hit hard by a coaching change, graduation, NFL departures and transfers, Washington may be in a transition year after reaching the national championship last year, but the Huskies should still be considered a tough opponent for Rutgers, which conversely returns a large faction of last year’s 7-6 team.

The Scarlet Knights will look to make their way through their non-conference schedule with a 3-0 record for the second straight year. That perfect start would include wins over Howard, Akron and Virginia Tech to set up their first marquee Big Ten game against Washington.

Rutgers, which heads to the Big Ten’s three-day media event on July 23, will open training camp in late July before kicking off its season Aug. 29 at home against Howard.

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You can reach Patrick Lanni at [email protected].