Way Too Early Michigan Football Opponent Preview: Week 8 at Rutgers

Michigan will open the season with games against Western Michigan, Oklahoma, and UTEP in non-conference play to begin the 2026 season. Their first Big Ten games will be Iowa at home, followed by a road trip to Minnesota, and then big time home games against Penn State and Indiana.

In week eight they will travel to the East Coast to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Let's dive more into how that matchup looks pre-season below.

2025 Recap

Last season, Rutgers went 5-7 as a team. They ranked 60th in points scored offensively, and 44th in total offense per game. On defense they were far worse, ranking 117th in points allowed, and 127th in total defense per game. Their offense was at least somewhat respectable but the defense was just awful.

In terms of players, Athan Kaliakmanis was the starting quarterback after transferring over from Minnesota. He had a good season, throwing for 3,124 yards while completing 62.2% of his passes with 24 total TD's and 7 INT's. He was joined in the backfield by star running back Antwan Raymond who ran for 1,241 yards and 13 TD's on 244 carries (5.1 yards per carry). KJ Duff was the headliner out wide, catching 60 passes for 1,084 yards and 7 TD's. Ian Strong also had a good season at wide receiver, catching 52 passes for 762 yards and 5 TD's.

Offensively Rutgers had a good collection of skill talent last year. Athan Kaliakmanis was drafted by the Washington Commanders, so it'll be a bit of a reset for the offense in 2026.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights running back Antwan Raymond celebrates his touchdown reception during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Moves made for 2026

Dylan Lonergan is the incoming quarterback transfer from Boston College. He had a mediocre 2025 as the quarterback for BC, throwing for 2,025 yards on 66.9% completion percentage with 12 TD's and 5 INT's. He was banged up for parts of last season, but the statistics are a little less than flattering to say the least.

It will likely be a bit of a rest for the Rutgers offense this year, with Lonergan taking over for Kaliakmanis, but they do at least bring back the team's two best players at the skill positions on offense in Antwan Raymond at running back and KJ Duff at wide receiver. The biggest loss is Ian Strong who transferred to Cal this off-season.

On defense, Greg Schiano decided to bring in a new defensive coordinator who is the former South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen. He will bring in a new scheme with him, and they also brought in a bunch of transfers on defense to help give it a boost this season. Will they mesh well with the new scheme? Or will it be more of a transition year on defense for Rutgers in 2026?

Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver KJ Duff catches a two point conversion in front of Penn State Nittany Lions safety King Mack | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Why Michigan should beat the Scarlet Knights

Despite bringing back Raymond and Duff at the skill positions, Rutgers will be going through a lot of change from 2025 to 2026. New quarterback, new defensive coordinator, a bunch of defensive transfers, etc. Will all of those changes be for the better? Probably not. Will they all be for the worse? Also probably not. All of this goes to say that Rutgers is a bit of a question mark team for me in the Big Ten.

Regardless of the questions about Rutgers, Michigan should have a big advantage over this Rutgers team in the trenches. They should also be able to contain Raymond and Duff on defense. This game is on the road, but I don't see a road trip to Rutgers as the most daunting of places to play a road game. Something in the neighborhood of a 38-17 Michigan win should be expected in this game as we enter the 2026 college football season.

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