It the not too distant past, Rutgers would have found itself right at home in the Big Ten. Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights were physical and feisty, the very traits that the B1G has required throughout its history. Having been on the staff since 2005, Kyle Flood was the natural choice to succeed Schiano, however, there has been something of a regression on his look. The team looks the same, they field the same sort of players, and are still recruiting well enough, but the cohesion that once let them punch above their weight has not been there.

2013 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Season

Rutgers got off to a solid start in 2013. They opened with an overtime defeat in Fresno that came down to a failed 2-point conversion, then went on a four game winning run that included an SEC scalp, with victory over Arkansas for the second consecutive season. The Scarlet Knights opened conference play with victory over SMU, but from that point on the season went firmly downhill as they were outplayed by Louisville, Houston, Cincinnati, UCF, and Connecticut. The Rutgers team that reached December bore little resemblance to the one that finished September strong, so the bowl game loss to Notre Dame had seemed a mere formality.

Offense

In general, any team returning a three year starting quarterback would expect fireworks in year four, but it is unlikely that Rutgers have any such expectations for Gary Nova. Nova certainly looks the part; he is a pocket passer with decent size and a strong arm, but he has been plagued by inconsistency and inaccuracy, as his woeful career completion percentage of 54.7% amply demonstrates. In an effort to transform Nova into a reliable passer, Flood has added noted quarterback whisperer, Ralph Friedgen, as offensive coordinator. We will soon find out how that reclamation project has worked out. If Nova struggles, Rutgers will turn to redshirt freshman Chris Laviano.

The good news for Nova is that his offensive line returns five starters and some talented depth. The bad news is that the same group of players struggled to provide an adequate pocket for Nova in 2013. They really should improve this year, as there is solid talent available and experience really does matter on the line, xperience as a unit in particular and they have that.

If the line is indeed solid, and Friedgen manages to get Nova playing to an acceptable level, then the Scarlet Knights have more than enough talent at the skill positions to trouble a lot of teams. Starting running back Paul James impressed with 5.6 yards per carry and nine touchdowns in 2013, but he struggled to stay fit and was sorely missed. The team hope that Desmon Peoples, a star in the spring, can take some of the pressure off of James. Rutgers also possess two dangerous receivers in Leonte Carroo and Tyler Kroft. Carroo is a dynamic, but inconsistent deep threat wide receiver, while Kroft is an NFL caliber receiving tight end.

Defense

It was not just the offense that struggled in 2013. The normally solid Rutgers defense had a down year, in large part thanks to the extreme lack of experience throughout a very young unit. Of course, the silver lining of that chastening season is that they now enter 2014 as a much more seasoned unit, returning ten players with starting experience and with several talented players to build around.

The front seven should be fast and aggressive, but looks under-sized for B1G play. The stoutest starter will be nose tackle Kenneth Kirksey at just 275 pounds. However, what they lack in girth they make up for in dynamism, none more so than former 5-star defensive tackle Darius Hamilton, a disruptive interior presence who should exceed last season's 4.5 sacks. Steve Longa, Kevin Snyder, and Quentin Gause should form one of the better linebacker units in the conference. Longas in particular is one to look as the season progresses.

The Scarlet Knights secondary had a torrid time in 2013, constantly picked on and abused by any halfway decent passing attack. They return three starters in corner Gareef Glashen as well as safeties Lorenzo Waters and Delon Stephenson, all of whom should take a step forward. However, a rash of injuries have depleted the teams secondary options and forced converted running back Justin Goodwin into the other starting cornerback spot. The secondary should be better in 2014. They are more seasoned if nothing else, but there are sure to be further teething problems.

Special Teams

Although Rutgers find themselves entering the season with a position battle still going on at punter, where Joseph Roth and Tim Gleeson should both see time initially, they have experience at kicker, Kyle Federico, and brilliance on returns, Janarion Grant. Grant fielded both kickoffs and punts in 2013, taking one of each to the house and consistently setting up the offense with superior field position.

2014 Season Outlook

Welcome to the Big Ten, how would you like trips to Columbus, Lincoln, and East Lansing? With Big Ten realignment it made complete geographical sense that Rutgers would fit into the Big Ten East, but they are arguably the weakest team in the division. They also have to face Wisconsin and Nebraska, two of the three toughest possible cross-division opponents, which makes their inaugural Big schedule an imposing one. Out of conference road games against Washington State and Navy present challenges of their own. There are plenty of winnable games if Rutgers find their best form, but if they do not, this schedule could bury them.

Rutgers have a handful of players who could star in the Big Ten, but not enough of them to be sure that the team can find respectability at the first attempt. The dynamic, but under-sized front seven looks tailor-made for a team that expects to be playing with a lead, but it is hard to see that happening without a miraculous improvement in quarterback play. Overall, this is still a youthful looking Rutgers roster which bodes well for 2015 and beyond, but if the team struggles in 2014 Kyle Flood may not be around to reap the benefit of that.