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10 historic NCAA football programs set for a turn around

By Andrew Garda

Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans players Gerald Bowman (27) and Anthony Sarap (56) hoist the championship trophy after the 2014 Holiday Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Qualcomm Stadium. USC won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 26, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood has water poured on him in the fourth quarter of the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Ford Field. Rutgers won 40-21. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Kyle Flood has water poured on him in the fourth quarter of the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Ford Field. Rutgers won 40-21. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Here is our historical program in the literal sense, as Rutgers is credited as having been one of two teams which took part in what is considered the first ever college football game (the other being the College of New Jersey which would later become Princeton).

Unfortunately for Rutgers, that ‘national championship’ is the only one the team has produced since (and one of the championships at the time went to the future Princeton). They have won four conference titles (three in the Middle Atlantic and one in the Big East in 2012), had a pair of undefeated seasons in 1961 and 1976 and is 6-2 in Bowl games.

Rutgers has never been what one would call historic in terms of trophies and on-field play, it’s a historical one in the sense that they were there when it all started and have had one of the longest running football programs in the country.

Why not Princeton, you ask? Because they are in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, which is not able to play  NCAA Division I Football  teams due to Ivy League rules.

Now, back to Rutgers. While their inaugural Big Ten season wasn’t spectacular (3-5 in conference play), head coach Kyle Flood has done a fairly good job in getting the team on the right track. Sporting an 8-5 overall record in 2014 and a 40-21 victory over North Carolina in the Quick Lane Bowl, Flood has some momentum to build on.

He might also have the pieces, though they could be unfamiliar to fans.

Rutgers has 11 returning starters, a new offensive coordinator in Ben McDaniels and a ton of young players on defense. If they work out, this is a defense which could produce some excellent work for some time to come. If either Chris Laviano and Hayden Rettig can work out under center, this offense could be very good as well.

For Rutgers, a return to relevancy is what they are looking for, and a return to respect.

If this is the birthplace of college football, Flood and company look like they have set it on the path so that it isn’t the final resting place as well.

Next: USC Trojans

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