I'm very familiar with the Rutgers program, as I grew up 15 minutes from campus and my parents are alums. Believe it or not, there are Rutgers fans out there, and I can jokingly say I was once a proud Rutgers football fan as a teenager before eventually ending up as a student at Michigan State. But I digress...

The Scarlet Knights will score enough to push the total over 49 against FCS Howard, a team that will struggle to defend the pass. Rutgers booted its returning QB, Gavin Wimsatt (47.8% completion percentage in 2023) in favor of Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis. I respect Kaliakmanis' game much more than Wimsatt's, and believe the Knights' new QB1 will move the football more effectively this season.

Expect Rutgers to emphasize the passing game more than you might expect in a blowout against an FCS team, as the Knights need game action to get their new passing game in rhythm. Besides, RU can and will run the football. Senior RB Kyle Monangai is the Big Ten's leading returning rusher (1,262 rush yards, 8 TDs and a 5.2 YPC average) and should be able to rip off at least a couple of big runs tonight.

As for Howard, the Bison played their last three FBS opponents tough, continuing to score in the second half of games they were down big at the half. While I was considering picking Howard to cover the spread, the Knights need to work on their passing offense and are known to run up the score late in games (see: the game against FCS Wagner last year). With that said, the best bet in this matchup is a wager on the over at 49.5 total points.