Rutgers is lining up another early-season home game against a familiar opponent, adding Akron to its 2031 football schedule.
The Scarlet Knights will host the Zips on Sept. 13, 2031, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway. It’s the second confirmed non-conference game on Rutgers’ 2031 slate, with Temple already set to visit on Sept. 6.
The matchup also extends a recent Rutgers habit of opening seasons at home against Mid-American Conference teams. News of the Akron game was first reported by Brian Fonseca of NJ Advance Media.
Rutgers has handled Akron in both previous meetings, owning a 2-0 edge in the series. The teams first played on Oct. 27, 1990, in Piscataway, where Rutgers won 20-17.
They didn’t meet again until Sept. 7, 2024, when the Scarlet Knights rolled past the Zips 49-17 at SHI Stadium. In that game, Kyle Monangai rushed for a career-high 208 yards and three touchdowns.
The 2031 date will also give the programs a second meeting in a three-year stretch. Rutgers is already scheduled to host Akron on Sept. 4, 2027.
MAC teams have become a steady part of Rutgers’ non-conference planning. In 2025, the Scarlet Knights beat Ohio 34-31 and Miami (Ohio) 45-17.
The future schedule already includes Central Michigan at home on Sept. 15, 2029, Kent State at home on Sept. 14, 2030, and UMass to open the 2026 season.
Rutgers has usually come out on top against MAC opponents, using those games as early home dates before Big Ten play begins. There have been a few bumps along the way - losses at home to Eastern Michigan in 2017 and Buffalo in 2018 - but the more recent results have gone Rutgers’ way.
With Akron now added, Rutgers has another September date booked well in advance and a clearer early-season non-conference picture heading toward the next decade.
In Other News...
Rutgers Extends A Scheduling Pattern Fans Know All Too Well
Rutgers has already lined up another familiar non-conference date, adding Akron to the 2031 home schedule for Sept. 13. The matchup fits a pattern Scarlet Knights fans have seen before, with the program continuing to bring in at least one Mid-American Conference opponent every year since 2024.
Akron will come to Piscataway under a $1.5 million guarantee, another sign of how Rutgers has used these early scheduling windows to keep its home slate filled. It is the kind of booking that may not move the needle nationally, but it has become a steady part of how the Scarlet Knights have built out their future calendars. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Keeps Following A Familiar Scheduling Trend Into The Future
Rutgers has added another familiar nonconference date to its future calendar, lining up Akron for Sept. 13, 2031. The matchup, first reported by FBSchedules.com and confirmed by NJ.com, fits the way Rutgers has been building out its schedule in recent years, with the Scarlet Knights continuing to lean on Mid-American Conference opponents as part of their out-of-conference plan.
That pattern is already well established, and it reaches well beyond Akron. Rutgers has several future games lined up against MAC teams through 2031, a steady stream of opponents that gives the program a consistent scheduling lane as it looks ahead. For a team trying to manage long-term planning, it is another sign that Rutgers is sticking with a formula it knows well. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Faces A Rivalry Debate Fans Still Havent Settled
Rutgers place in the Big Ten still comes with one lingering question that other league members rarely have to ask: who, exactly, is the real rival? A look at the Scarlet Knights 2026 schedule brings the issue back into focus, since the usual suspects all seem plausible on paper but none carries the kind of built-in edge that turns a conference matchup into an annual event fans circle immediately.
Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State and Penn State all come up in the conversation, and each has at least some reason to be considered. Still, the debate is part of the point, because Rutgers supporters are left weighing history, geography and recent familiarity without finding a game that clearly rises above the rest. The answer may depend on who you ask, which makes the question itself the most interesting thing left on the board. [Read more 🡒]