PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- It could be a nod to karma. Or just about money. Either way, Rutgers is now officially shifting next year's "home" game against Army to the new Meadowlands Stadium. And Greg Schiano sees only "a great opportunity."
"We love playing at Rutgers Stadium, but when there are special opportunities, then we are going to take advantage of it," the ninth-year coach said Thursday at his weekly press conference.
The game next fall, set for Oct. 12, will be the first college football game at the new $1.4 billion facility being built next door to the current Giants Stadium. It will seat 82,500 fans and become the NFL's third-largest facility. A published report in August said Rutgers stood to earn at least $2.7 million in clear profit by playing there. Army and Rutgers have also previously agreed to play their 2011 matchup, technically an Army "home" game, at the new Yankee Stadium. Thursday, Schiano called both these games "unique" enough opportunities to take them off campus.
At the Meadowlands, both Rutgers and Rutgers-Army boast a long history. Rutgers has met the service academy there nine times and has played at Giants Stadium, against 17 different opponents, a total of 48 times. Rutgers, in fact, gave the soon-to-be "old" Giants Stadium its first taste of college football back in 1976, with a 47-0 win over Columbia. And that's where the karma part comes in; in 1976, Rutgers also played Colgate at Giants Stadium and ultimately finished the year 11-0.
Whether the new facility has the same sort of good emanation or not, Schiano will at least get to mark the territory first. He coined the term "State of Rutgers" upon his arrival and in the last few years, has talked about Rutgers being New York City's college football team. Syracuse's hiring of former Orange lineman Doug Marrone last winter, though, has the Big East program actually within New York state's borders, reasserting its claim.
Syracuse announced matchups with USC (2012) and Notre Dame (2014 and 2016) at the Meadowlands this summer, and Navy and Notre Dame set an October date at the new stadium next fall. Rutgers' game will slide in before all of that, and Schiano made sure to reiterate the geography of that one's participants.
"Army and Rutgers, it's always been New York's two teams, both within an hour of the city," he said. "To play one right across the river (from New York City) and then a year later to play in Yankee Stadium in the city is good for tri-state football."
And for Rutgers' pocketbook. And maybe, if Schiano is lucky, for Rutgers' fortunes too.
BUG BITTEN:
Schiano said the Scarlet Knights "have a little bug going through the team," that kept a few players from practicing. He said his players are indeed offered a flu shot, but declined to say how many took it or if there's even concern that the illness is the flu. Ultimately, he said, "it's just a few kids."
SAFETY SIDELINED:
Senior Zaire Kitchen did not practice Thursday and Schiano said he'd stay out of practice until at least Saturday.
THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS:
The Scarlet Knights' next kick is Thursday against South Florida on ESPN. Schiano said that as a traditionalist, he still prefers Saturday games. But as a recruiter, he added, "The thing that we like about the Thursday night games is that you are the only game out there. That is good because your program gets exposure. Thursday night football, in the college sense, has become what Monday Night Football was when I was a kid growing up in the pro sense. That is good."
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