On The Banks

On The Banks has posted my guest post- check it out here.

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Continuing a tradition on here, the blog is being turned over to On The Banks- a fellow BlogPoll member representing Tulane’s host this week: Rutgers. I thank him for his effort. I will be guest posting over at his blog later this week.

My questions are in italics.

It has been twelve years since Tulane has visited Rutgers- I hardly recognize the program. Where is Rutgers and Big East football going over the next decade?

The Rutgers football program should keep trending upward, although the pace of improvement can be frustrating. It's proven easier to jump from bad to average than to become established as a top 25 program.

Give us someone to watch- who is the most underrated football player(s) on your team?

The defense has several standout players who don't get much attention on the national level. Defensive tackle Scott Vallone is the defense's best player, and generates a lot of pass rush on the interior line.

I’m bringing a group to the game. Any pre-game stuff or tailgating or fun we should look out for?

That depends on what your group is looking for. Visiting fans usually park and tailgate at the campus basketball arena, which is a bus ride away from the football. Directly adjacent to the stadium is the Scarlet Lot, which has a reputation as being frequented by long-term season ticket holders.

The younger crowd has been known to frequent the Yellow, Purple, and (especially) Blue lots, but those have been overrun in recent years by more of an older group as interest in the Rutgers football program has grown. The younger fans and students have been pushed back more to the outer lots now that are a fair walking distance from the stadium.

Before or after the game, your best bet for activities or a restaurant would be in downtown New Brunswick near the main Rutgers campus on College Avenue. That's where the train station is located. The football stadium is located at the other side of the Raritan River in Piscataway, on the school's Busch campus, and you will have to take a shuttle bus to travel between New Brunswick and Piscataway or vice versa. Most of the moderate-to-upscale options are located around George Street (a good portion of which is closed right now due to ongoing construction). If you want standard greasy spoon college fare (for the most part) and bars, then go west of College Avenue to Easton Avenue.

If none of that is to your liking, then there are countless major roadways that run through or near the area. Every major city in the Northeast is just a short train ride away too.

Your game prediction?

Tulane showed some life last week, but Houston is pretty beat up right now, and Tulane came out of that game with some injuries of their own. Rutgers is a very bad offensive team right now, but they have a good defense, and can force turnovers on that side of the ball or on special teams. Throw in home field advantage, and the Scarlet Knights should win this game comfortably.