Schedule analysis: Rutgers - Big East Blog - ESPN

We're still breaking down the 2011 schedules for each Big East team. Time to check out Greg Schiano's squad.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Nonconference opponents (with 2010 records):

Sept. 1: North Carolina Central (3-8)

Big East home games

Oct. 8: Pittsburgh

Nov. 5: South Florida

Big East road games

Oct. 1: at Syracuse

Nov. 26: at Connecticut

Gut-check time: Week 2 at North Carolina. Let's face it: It's been a while since Rutgers scored a good nonconference victory. One could argue that the last impressive one was against NC State in the Papajohns.com Bowl after the 2008 season. Winning in Chapel Hill won't shock the college football world, but it would be a sign that the Scarlet Knights have turned the page on last season's 4-8 catastrophe.

Trap game: Navy. Never underestimate the Midshipmen, and even though this game is at home, it comes sandwiched between two important Big East contests.

Snoozer: There's simply not much you can learn from playing a three-win team from the MEAC. At least it's the opener.

Good luck with that: Rutgers has only one bye week, and it comes after the UNC game. That means the Scarlet Knights will play 10 straight weeks to end the season. Avoiding injuries will be key.

Upset watch: Army. The Black Knights took Rutgers to overtime last year ,and won't be in awe of Yankee Stadium since they played Notre Dame there in 2010. Plus, the game comes after potentially wrenching assignments against West Virginia and South Florida for the Scarlet Knights.

Final analysis: We like to poke fun at Rutgers' schedules around here, and it's true the Scarlet Knights have rarely challenged themselves recently in the nonconference slate. At least they can say this year they're playing four bowl teams in the nonleague portion, though none exactly look like titans. The two service academies could prove tougher than many think. But if you count Yankee Stadium as a home game, Rutgers has only four road contests all season and only two (Louisville and North Carolina) outside the Northeast. It's a manageable schedule, provided that the team improves on last season's miserable showing.

Source: http://espn.go.com