Posted on 8/23/2007 6:39:01 PM

NCAA Football Betting – Rutgers Knights Cementing Reputation

By Tim Furious

Last year Rutgers emerged from the shadows to become the unexpected darlings of college football. They had been the laughing stock of NCAA football for so long that they themselves had trouble believing they could be contenders. Greg Schiano changed all that by ditching Miami for the comforts of home in New Jersey. The result? A massive upset over Louisville, their first bowl victory in 137 years and the one elusive trait the school had never enjoyed in college football betting – credibility.

Now they are out to prove that last year was no fluke as they look to cement their footing amongst the college football elite. After going 11-2 last year, they are no longer under the radar. They enter the NCAA college football season at sixteenth in the Associated Press rankings.

Schiano won’t hesitate to hand junior running-back Ray Rice the ball. He is by-and-large the best football player on the team and the playmaker for the offense. The middle of the field will be his pasture as offensive tackles Pedro Sosa and Jeremy Zuttah bore through defensive lines like raccoons in a landfill.

Look for quarterback Mike Teel to up his personal ante this season as well. After a 2006 season filled with more growing pains then Kirk Cameron could shake a stick at, Teel polished his game by the end of the season to a pleasant shine.

The receiving corps in Jersey is solid and shows tremendous promise. Tim Brown and Tiquan Underwood both have big upsides, but it is up to Teel to unleash their potential. Rutgers is going to stick to the basics, but their aerial attack should be much more prominent then it was last season.

You may not be able to name a single defensive player on the Rutgers defensive side, but the Knights play with unbridled speed and aggression. They cause turnovers at an alarming rate, and their underrated defensive front four cause havoc in the backfield. Defensive tackle Eric Foster is the heart the of the defense and has a nasty habit of overwhelming offensive tackles while busting into the backfield.

The 11-2 Knights rewarded their smart, and few, betting fans with an 8-3-1 ATS record. They were dirty underdogs, going 5-0 against the spread when they weren’t the favorites. Oddsmakers may favor them a little more then they did last year, but the Knights are still going to be a favorable team to bet on.

The Big East is highlighted by three teams in Louisville, Rutgers and West Virginia. Both teams are ranked ahead of the Knights, with West Virginia getting the decisive nod from the AP with the number three spot on the rankings. Louisville is not far behind at tenth. The season will be only be a success if Rutgers can defeat both teams on their way to a BCS berth. They were oh-so-close last season, and that slight taste of success is infecting the very soul of the roster.

While they are given an outside shot of appearing in the BCS national title game at +2200 in the BetUS.com sportsbook, they are more then likely to contend for BCS attention by the end of the season. A Big East crown would be the final feather in the cap for a program that, not too long ago, was the laughing stock of college football.

Now they are contending amongst the football elite, which is where they rightfully belong thanks to Schiano. In the words of Fatboy Slim, “you’ve come a long way, baby”. In 2007, the Rutgers Knights are poised to go even further.

With NCAA football just around the corner, the BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today in the Future / props section!