Could Rutgers Football Be the Next Big Turnaround Story? Urban Meyer Thinks So
When Urban Meyer talks college football, you listen. The three-time national champion knows what it takes to build a program from the ground up - and he sees something brewing in Piscataway.
Appearing on the Triple Option podcast this week, Meyer was asked to name three programs that could follow a path similar to Indiana’s - a team that went from perennial bottom-feeder to national champion. His picks?
Rice, Wake Forest, and Rutgers. Now, he admitted he was throwing darts with Rice and Wake.
But when it came to Rutgers, Meyer had a clear reason for his confidence: Greg Schiano.
“I will say Rutgers because Greg Schiano - who I’m biased, he’s a great friend and a great football coach - he had them in the top five in the country at one point in ‘06,” Meyer said.
That 2006 Rutgers team is still the gold standard in program history. Led by Schiano in his first stint as head coach, the Scarlet Knights opened the season 9-0 and delivered a program-defining win over then-No.
3 Louisville - a game forever etched in Rutgers lore as Pandemonium in Piscataway. They finished the year 11-2, ranked No. 12 in the final AP poll, and capped it off with a dominant 37-10 win over Kansas State in the Texas Bowl - the program’s first-ever bowl victory.
Since then, it’s been a long road. Rutgers has spent much of the last decade trying to climb out of the basement of the Big Ten, battling through coaching changes, recruiting challenges, and the growing pains that come with transitioning into one of college football’s toughest conferences.
But Meyer’s belief in Schiano isn’t just nostalgia. The two worked together at Ohio State, where Schiano served as Meyer’s defensive coordinator. Meyer has seen firsthand what Schiano can do when given the right tools - and in today’s college football landscape, that means more than just Xs and Os.
Indiana’s rise to the top didn’t happen by accident. It was a perfect storm of elite coaching, sharp talent evaluation, and a well-executed NIL strategy that allowed them to bring in high-level talent and build a winner in just two seasons. Their leap from Big Ten afterthought to national champion was unprecedented - but it also sent a clear message: the door is open for programs outside the traditional power structure to make a run.
So the question now becomes: can Rutgers follow that blueprint?
The pieces are starting to come together. Schiano has steadily improved the culture and competitiveness of the program since his return.
Recruiting has taken a step forward. The facilities and infrastructure are catching up.
But the big swing - the one that could truly change the game - is NIL. If Rutgers can build a serious, sustainable NIL program that helps them retain and attract top-tier talent, the turnaround Meyer envisions might not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
Of course, it’s easier said than done. The climb is steep, and the Big Ten isn’t getting any easier. But if Indiana’s rise proved anything, it’s that the right mix of leadership, resources, and belief can flip the script faster than anyone expects.
Urban Meyer’s not handing out guarantees. But he’s seen what Schiano can do. And if Rutgers can harness that same energy from 2006 - with a modern NIL boost - maybe, just maybe, Pandemonium could make another appearance in Piscataway.