The 3-1 Washington Huskies head to New Jersey for their second Big Ten tilt as they take on the 3-0 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Rutgers comes in off their biggest win of the season, a 26-23 road win at Virginia Tech via a late-game field goal and game-sealing interception in the last minute of the game.
Washington is fresh off its first Big Ten game and win as a conference member, a convincing 24-5 home win over Northwestern. This was a bounce-back win for the Huskies following a neutral site loss to their bitter in-state rival, Washington State.
Now, they’re on the road, hoping to move to 2-0 in the Big Ten. Can they escape the East Coast with a win? Our Washington vs. Rutgers prediction holds all the answers.
Washington vs. Rutgers Betting Preview
All Washington vs. Rutgers odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Sept. 23.
- Spread
Rutgers -2.5 - Moneyline
Washington +120, Rutgers -142 - Over/Under
44.5 points - Game Time
Friday, Sept. 27, 8:00 p.m. ET - Location
SHI Stadium | Piscataway, NJ - Predicted Weather at Kick
69 degrees, partly cloudy - How To Watch
Fox
There has been some small movement in the line since opening, with Rutgers favored throughout. Starting at -1.5 before climbing to -3, the line settled midweek at -2.5. Meanwhile, the points total has shifted from 42.5 to 46 and back to 44.5.
Washington comes into their first road game of 2024 2-2 against the spread. Rutgers is 2-1 against the spread, with their only ATS loss coming in a 44-7 win over Howard as 39-point favorites.
Prediction for Washington vs. Rutgers
Rutgers and head coach Greg Schiano are 3-0, hoping to win double-digit games for the first time since 2006 during Schiano’s first tenure with Rutgers. With a favorable schedule in Big Ten play moving forward, this matchup with Washington is a massive one for the Scarlet Knights as they look to become bowl-eligible for the second consecutive year.
While Washington reached the national championship game last season before falling to Michigan, this year’s team looks very different. The Huskies are now led by new head coach Jedd Fisch, a Livingston, N.J., native who brings his Washington Huskies to his home state.
The Huskies also have a new quarterback. Mississippi State transfer Rogers has stepped in to replace Penix, a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Rogers brings plenty of talent and has been excellent so far in 2024. On defense, Washington is now led by Steve Belichick, a former Rutgers long snapper and lacrosse player.
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I expect this to be an excellent, old-school Big Ten defensive battle with thrilling offensive highlights. Each offense will be forced to make exceptional plays to move the football and get into the end zone. I’m buying what this Rutgers team is doing.
Defensively, they’ve been excellent in the early going of 2024. They held Virginia Tech to just seven points on Saturday, heading into the fourth quarter until Tech could build a fourth-quarter comeback on the back of two touchdowns and two converted two-point conversions.
The Rutgers ground attack will be the toughest Washington will face in 2024. I expect Monongai to carry the Rutgers offense, with Kaliakmanis making enough plays to move the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to 4-0 in 2024.
Prediction: Washington 20, Rutgers 24
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