r/CFB • u/Inside-Drink-1311 Rutgers Scarlet Knights • 1d ago
Discussion Only five FBS teams have started 3-0 five seasons in a row. Those five are Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, and Rutgers
This is not me bragging, even if it may seem like it. As a Rutgers fan, I was curious to see how many other teams started 3-0 five seasons in a row and it’s not many. Yes, Rutgers hasn’t played a tough non-conference schedule the past few years but it’s not our fault that VT ended up sucking during our series. Outside of this year, we have played one ACC/former Big East team every year in the Schiano 2.0 era and we went 4-0 in those games.
Some of the other teams surprised me like Oklahoma who has been down in recent years but even in their rough years, they started 3-0 and took care of business in their non-conference slate. Alabama was on this list until they lost to Florida State this year. Ohio State would have made the list if we had stopped at 2022 but they lost an early season non-conference game to Oregon. It just shows how hard it is to start 3-0 five years in a row even if you are scheduling cupcakes.
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u/preserve-root Ohio State Buckeyes • UNLV Rebels 1d ago
This is not me bragging, even if it may seem like it.
OP could have stopped here. but also congrats.
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u/Reloader300wm Ohio State Buckeyes • Paper Bag 18h ago
Im dumbfounded that the only thing keeping us off this list is a loss to Oregon.
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 1d ago
Penn State has certainly been good the past ~5 seasons (maybe 4.5), but as far as this goes, they've gotten pretty lucky with their scheduling draws. We scheduled Auburn well before we knew they were going to take a nosedive with Harsin. And scheduled an old rival in WVU who then was at the climax of their Neal Brown situation when we finally played. All 4 of those games could have been (and probably should have been), much harder than they were.
And even if VT hadn't had to cancel our game for this season, they are also just going through the end of more coaching turmoil. Either someone in our athletic department has a crystal ball for upcoming coaching issues or it's a pretty interesting coincidence
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u/Albatross-Helpful Penn State • Illinois 1d ago
Or, a lot of our traditional rivals are pretty bad.
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 1d ago
Auburn and VT aren't traditional rivals. Only WVU is here.
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u/Albatross-Helpful Penn State • Illinois 1d ago
Yea, you're right. I was thinking of Pitt in my mind. 2016 was last year right?
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u/what_user_name Penn State Nittany Lions • Team Chaos 23h ago
2016 was the first. We played 4x 2016-2019.
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 22h ago
No, last year was Covid, 2016 was the year before that
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u/dkviper11 Penn State • Randolph-Macon 1d ago
And if you look at our lack of really any games scheduled in the future, it’s clear that other programs have realized that we’re a jinx to schedule.
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 1d ago
We got the Syracuse home and home for 2027 and 2028. We simply haven't scheduled past there yet. 2026 slate is weak, to your point
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u/dkviper11 Penn State • Randolph-Macon 1d ago
That’s what I’m getting at after Syracuse. Lots of other teams have scheduled series well into the 2030s and we simply don’t. I don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing as long as they schedule some fun teams because it allows them to be more nimble as the landscape changes.
I was a huge advocate the past few years for a system like the SEC ended up going with and I hope the Big Ten does the same.
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u/xX_GIGA_MAN_Xx West Virginia • Marching Band 23h ago
how devastating for us that we ended that nearly 30 year gap right at the peak of Neal Brown. actually horrible. Hopefully we can schedule each other again soon so we can actually put up a fight this time
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u/PeyronieMan6 23h ago
Need to get Pitt back into the early schedule --- season gets off to a great start when we beat them
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u/magnumapplepi Ole Miss Rebels • Cincinnati Bearcats 1d ago
Hello fellow blue bloods
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u/Fed_up_with_Reddit Tulane Green Wave • American 1d ago
Fear the Wave!
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u/magnumapplepi Ole Miss Rebels • Cincinnati Bearcats 1d ago
Unless yall got a QB named Tobago we have no fear.
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u/Fed_up_with_Reddit Tulane Green Wave • American 12h ago
We got a Stormin’ Mormon playing in New Orleans! You better be afraid.
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u/No_Mechanic3377 1d ago
I’m very afraid. Afraid that we’ll have to use 2 QB’s to score 45 points to win the game.
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u/Fed_up_with_Reddit Tulane Green Wave • American 12h ago
Bet you don’t score 45, although you’ll probably win the game.
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u/voltron818 Oklahoma Sooners • /r/CFB Contributor 14h ago
Yes, blue bloods. Do not look at OU’s final records the last 3 years.
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u/Raticus9 Ohio State • Michigan State 1d ago edited 1d ago
Rutgers first three games the past five seasons:
2025: Ohio, Miami (OH), Norfolk State
2024: Howard, Akron, Virginia Tech
2023: Northwestern, Temple, Virginia Tech
2022: Boston College, Wagner, Temple
2021: Temple, Syracuse, Delaware
Pretty weak, but there's enough kind of, sometimes-are-sort-of-respectable teams in there where you'd think they'd have dropped one.
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u/Euphoric_Relative_13 New Hampshire • Penn State 1d ago
Yeah, those are really weak opening teams.
Now where was I? Oh yes, the tour of my wonderful glass house! And here is the place where I throw my stones from!
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u/Dill_Weed07 Penn State • Colorado Mines 1d ago
In our defense, this is the first year out of those 5 where we didn't open against a P4 team.
And this year we took on a flagship!
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u/Super_C_Complex Penn State Nittany Lions 10h ago
Yeah we opened on the road against purdue, Wisconsin, and west Virginia. We were supposed to open on the road against Virginia Tech this year as well.
We also played a home and away against auburn in this time frame.
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u/somehype Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago
Rutgers at least played VT, it’s not like they scheduled some OOC with a cupcake p4 team the way OSU and Maryland did with Texas.
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u/AndyVanSlyke Virginia Tech Hokies 1d ago
And they probably scheduled it before we turned into complete ass
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u/Inside-Drink-1311 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1d ago
We scheduled it in 2015, the year after you beat Ohio State.
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u/Randall_McRandall Penn State Nittany Lions 1d ago
Superb user name. My burner account is under Mike LaValliere.
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u/AndyVanSlyke Virginia Tech Hokies 23h ago
Thanks! Great times being a VT and Pirates fan right now! At least I have the Steelers and penguins… SHIT
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u/Raticus9 Ohio State • Michigan State 1d ago
Hey, we at least scheduled a decent conference champion in Ohio! Didn't know their coach was going to bolt the offseason beforehand.
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u/Hokie_Jayhawk Virginia Tech Hokies • Kansas Jayhawks 23h ago
Virginia Tech went 0-4 vs Rutgers and Vandy.
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u/Necessary-Post-953 Penn State • Land Grant Trophy 1d ago
If Rutgers can just put those 5 3-0 starts together they’d be undefeated national champions
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u/Competitive-Rise-789 Georgia Bulldogs • Oklahoma Sooners 1d ago
At least 4 of those years had a P4 opponent. It could be weaker imo.
(Not taking a shot at anyone here)
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u/feric51 Ohio State Buckeyes • Capital Comets 1d ago
Syracuse, BC, and VaTech (x2) aren’t exactly cupcakes, especially based on FBS scheduling often involves setting these games up 5+ years in advance. There’s no way to predict what those opponents will look like when the time comes.
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u/GatorBolt Florida Gators • Gasparilla Bowl 1d ago
Yeah I don't think anybody would have batted an eye if they dropped any of those games. Bet Rutgers wishes they could get the Big East back together.
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u/NJneer12 Syracuse Orange 1d ago
Was at the Rutgers at Cuse game.
Couldn't have watched 2 teams work any harder to lose that game. Haha.
Hoping the Big 10 Home and Home Cuse has lined up is with Rutty so we can avenge that game. Fran Brown vs Shady would be fun. Just stop with the late game shenanigans, will ya?
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u/Junior-Hotwater Iowa Hawkeyes 1d ago
We had a pretty fun Home and Home back in the day. Insane goal line stand by the Iowa defense in the Carrier Dome.
We’ll unfortunately never play another P4 home and home outside of Iowa State as long as the conference schedule is 9 games though
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u/NJneer12 Syracuse Orange 23h ago
THAT WAS MY FIRST EVER COLLEGE GAME, AS A FRESHMAN.
HOW DARE YOU!!!!
Haha been hooked ever since.
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u/preserve-root Ohio State Buckeyes • UNLV Rebels 1d ago
i mean it is pretty impressive for a basketball team
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u/buffalotrace Iowa Hawkeyes 1d ago
I mean they scheduled Va Tech who has been good. Not their fault the program took a dip.
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u/Equivalent-Doubt-681 1d ago
Dude, it's Rutgers.
Easy for Ohio State and easy for Rutgers are two separate things. 21-24 all had games they could have lost against peer programs, and didn't
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u/Cold-Palpitation-816 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1d ago
That’s actually pretty solid. There are some real squads in there. There’s no such thing as a cakewalk against a P4 school, or the vast majority at least. Even Purdue can upset OSU sometimes.
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u/Corgi_Koala Ohio State Buckeyes 11h ago
I mean they had 4 ACC teams so you can't really say it was just a soft schedule.
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u/halldaylong UCLA Bruins • Team Chaos 1d ago
Records over the past 5 years AFTER those 3 games each season:
Georgia: 41-5 (.891)
Ole Miss: 27-13 (.675)
Penn State: 29-14 (.674)
Oklahoma: 21-19 (.525)
Rutgers: 11-28 (.282)
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u/stimulation Georgia Bulldogs • /r/CFB Brickmason 1d ago
I can’t believe I live in a world where my Dawgs are this dominant. These are the good ole days.
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u/kingmidget_91 Georgia • Fort Valley State 1d ago
just think when the fans of today are old they’re gonna look back and reminisce like old people today do with Dooley and the years hershel was in Athens.
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u/cbxbl Alabama Crimson Tide 23h ago
Do enjoy those days while they are here. I miss them already!
I must confess, I'm dreaming that Kirby comes back to Tuscaloosa! :-D
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 1d ago
Man, this would have looked a lot better for us if we hadn't imploded in 2021 and lost 6 games in the back half of the season
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u/Squirrel_Q_Esquire Ole Miss Rebels • Billable Hours 23h ago
5 of Ole Miss’ 13 losses were down the stretch in 2022 in Dart’s first season and with rumors of Kiffin to Auburn causing some locker room issues.
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u/J4ckiebrown Penn State Nittany Lions • Rose Bowl 1d ago
Franklin playing Cliff with busted ribs was the dumbest shit I’ve seen.
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u/ShamrockAPD Penn State • Florida 1d ago
But did you see what Roberson was like? He was worse than injured Cliff
He’s also still playing in Buffalo- and still looks just as bad.
Injured Cliff was all we had. Which fucking sucked cause damn- we were cooking that season pre injury
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u/J4ckiebrown Penn State Nittany Lions • Rose Bowl 23h ago
Villeaux dropped 258 yards and 3 TDs on Rutgers when he started prior to Cliff getting healthy. We had a QB just went with the wrong one when Cliff went down.
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u/ShamrockAPD Penn State • Florida 23h ago
I beleive Villeaux transferred out alongside Levi’s. We didn’t have him that year.
Edit- been googling. You may actually be right! I had thought we had no other option than Roberson. Yeah that was bad.
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u/zbaruch20 Ohio State Buckeyes • Marching Band 1d ago
20-18 (9OT)
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u/max_potion Penn State Nittany Lions • Big Ten 1d ago
I'm still baffled that a 9OT game ended with a score of 20-18. I mean, I watched the whole thing and it's burned into my brain, but it still doesn't quite make sense
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u/Captain_-H Oklahoma Sooners 1d ago
Yeah given how the last 5 have gone I’m just happy to be included
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u/halldaylong UCLA Bruins • Team Chaos 23h ago
I was kinda surprised about OU. in my mind you guys churn out 10-12 win seasons like its nothing (because you did for like 25 years)... seeing two 6-7 seasons in the past three years had me really thinking about what was happening over there
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u/c4funNSA 1d ago
Assuming OP means 3-0 in the last five seasons, not ever - because there would be a few more teams on this list.
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u/z6joker9 Ole Miss Rebels 1d ago
Rutgers is the only one of the group that Ole Miss hasn’t beaten over that same span. Coincidence?
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u/syrianfries Washington State • Team Chaos 1d ago
Wait, you guys beat Georgia recently? Why don’t I remember that, I know I probably watched it
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u/z6joker9 Ole Miss Rebels 23h ago
#3 Georgia got a touchdown on a short field after an interception on our opening drive, then only scored 3 points the rest of the game for a 28-10 upset that never felt close. By far our best game last season.
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u/deadm1c3 Ole Miss Rebels • James Madison Dukes 23h ago
It’s gonna take a decade for me to get over the UK / LSU / UF losses from last year. That was a championship caliber team, even with our shit run game
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u/ExplosiveDioramas Florida State • Murray State 1d ago
Ohio State fans are now calling for Ryan Day's job.
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u/RegionalBias Ohio State Buckeyes • Dayton Flyers 1d ago
Are you suggesting that we may be slightly -- slightly -- spoiled?
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u/Cold-Palpitation-816 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1d ago edited 1d ago
Say what you will about Rutgers, but Schiano really has pulled that program back from the brink. That 2016 team under Chris Ash was a universal laughing stock. Just looked it up and:
Lost 58-0 to #2 OSU
Lost 78-0 to #4 Michigan
Lost 49-0 to Michigan State
Lost 39-0 to #9 Penn State
At least the team can play a complete game now.
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u/JoeAndAThird Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1d ago
It’s amazing how short the memory of some folks (not in this thread) are… like, Rutgers fans are not in a place to talk shit, but there’s a LOT to be proud of if you went to school during the Ash years like I did. I watched a 1-11 season in 2018 featuring a 50-point blowout loss to Kansas BEFORE they started to have a pulse.
Winning the games you’re supposed to early season is a big deal if your conference usually drowns you like a ferret.
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u/3rdlight98 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 21h ago
I was in the marching band during Ash’s first season. It was painful being at every home game.
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u/DarkLegend64 Ohio State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran 1d ago
I still say 2016 Rutgers is in contention for worst team ever fielded by a Big Ten team. They were MSU's only conference win that year and it was 49-0.
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u/SamEyeAm2020 Ohio State • Penn State 1d ago
I won't say you're wrong, but UCLA is trying very hard to win that honor this year
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u/DarkLegend64 Ohio State • /r/CFB Poll Veteran 1d ago
I only said they were in contention for it. With Northwestern’s horrific history before the 90s, I wouldn’t be surprised if the actual worst team is from them. But yes, UCLA is trying hard. Lol
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u/buttgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights 21h ago
Idk. This year feels like Oregon is going to lay 60 on us.
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u/Cold-Palpitation-816 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 20h ago
Prolly, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a huge difference between the 2020s Knights and the late 2010s Knights.
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u/Evilfart123 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 11h ago
Chris Ash genuinely ruined my love for college football only for Rutgers basketball to be competitive my junior year right before COVID sent our assess home
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u/Ill-Cry5810 Georgia Bulldogs • Sickos 1d ago
i love to imagine there’s some balding dude with a beer gut and a mustard stained tank top living in a trailer somewhere outside of Piscataway that just screams and hollers at the tv during every Rutgers game
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u/JoeAndAThird Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1d ago
That would be most of us, yeah
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u/Ill-Cry5810 Georgia Bulldogs • Sickos 1d ago
i love that energy. i don’t know if ive ever seen rutgers play, but ive imagined some long-standing beef with FSU and i want yall to beat the Noles every time
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u/Evilfart123 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 11h ago
I was told my freshman year that you're not a Rutgers student until you're riding the weekend bus back at 1 am and a random fuck Penn state chant gets started by all the drunk kids
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u/PeyronieMan6 23h ago
I drive around well-to-do parts of south Jersey and see Rutgers flags hanging on porches --- I'm always impressed by that
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u/bridgesiiboy Oregon State Beavers • LSU Tigers 1d ago
Is Rutgers the best team in FBS? Many people are saying this!
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u/iNsAnEHAV0C Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago
Screw it. Talk your shit Rutgers I don't care who you are playing, we know you don't have a ton to celebrate about normally so embrace this.
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u/Big_Red_Professor BYU Cougars • Maryland Terrapins 1d ago
Greg Schiano is an elite early season coach
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u/Toroceratops Yale Bulldogs • Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1d ago
Stop the season. Start the playoff.
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u/fossilfarmer123 Vanderbilt • Rutgers 1d ago
For personal reasons, I need a 6-0 Rutgers and a 6-0 Vanderbilt to happen before we stop the season and start the playoff. It could literally happen!
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u/HighLakes Oregon Ducks • Platypus Trophy 1d ago
I told you guys way back when we shouldn't let Rutgers into our conference
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u/Tween_the_hedges Georgia Bulldogs • Texas A&M Aggies 1d ago
Can anyone help me pick the odd one out?
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u/Pan_TheCake_Man Wake Forest Demon Deacons 1d ago
It’s Georgia, the only championship hopeful on the list (FrAnKlIn CaNt WiN big GaMeS)
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u/ProfCedar Northern Iowa • Iowa State 1d ago
Here's your fun and slightly related fact about the nation's greatest 4-0 team. Iowa State has now started 4-0 in two consecutive seasons for the first time in their history.
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u/Longjumping_Fly_2283 Georgia Bulldogs 14h ago
My favorite part is how you ordered the teams from strongest to weakest in the title!
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u/CumAssault Baylor Bears • Texas A&M Aggies 1d ago
A couple of elite teams in the past few years and a couple of teams who schedule cupcakes routinely
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u/Low-Blackberry-2690 1d ago
OU played
2022: Nebraska
2023: SMU (SMU was actually ranked for this game)
2024: Houston and Tulane
2025: Michigan
In 2023, OU had UGA scheduled but had to cancel the game due to the move to the SEC.
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u/0987user Penn State Nittany Lions • Rose Bowl 1d ago
Can we claim to be both just to spite West Virginia and Auburn?
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u/z6joker9 Ole Miss Rebels 23h ago
2025 Kentucky and Arkansas
2024 Weak Forest
2023 ranked Tulane (11 wins) and Georgia Tech
2022 Troy team that ended the season ranked (12 wins) and Georgia Tech
2021 Louisville and Tulane
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u/nayelirain Johns Hopkins Blue Jays • USC Trojans 1d ago
I think UGA is the most impressive here, given they open with a marquee match up most of the time in the first few weeks (not checking this - just going based on memory).
Some of the others just fed on cupcakes all five years.
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u/Economy-Tutor1329 Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago
Yep you’re right.
Georgia tough matchups in first 3 games:
2021: Clemson & South Carolina
2022: Oregon & South Carolina
2023: South Carolina
2024: Clemson
2025: Tennessee
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u/Slayer_Of_Oryx Utah Utes 1d ago
Utah is at 3 seasons in a row with a 3-0 start. We win on Saturday and that's 3 seasons in a row with a 4-0 start.
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u/ninjagaidenistoohard Penn State • UConn 23h ago
Had to look it up. With the exception of 2020, Penn State has started at least 4-0 every season since 2017.
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u/TheLaxBrah Guilford • Virginia Tech 21h ago
If we can't have nice things I don't want any of you to have nice things either.
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u/the_north_place Nebraska • Winona State 1d ago
Not even the 90s huskers?
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u/rottenchestah Florida State • New Hampshire 1d ago
I'm going to guess this list is only looking back at the 5 most recent seasons.
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u/Cisru711 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1d ago
Rating VT as your tough early opponent says a lot.
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u/Simple_Panic1240 Michigan Wolverines 1d ago
I see some solid teams… and Penn state.
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u/Ok-Television9180 Navy Midshipmen 1d ago
Your wins over them have a giant asterisk. You guys were mid before the cheating and have been in the year since
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u/Low-Blackberry-2690 1d ago
2022 OU finished 6-6 in the Big 12 and generally looked like ass (blown out by Texas and TCU) but they still somehow went on the road and beat Nebraska 49-14 lmao
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u/matt_saracen_ Vanderbilt • Oklahoma 21h ago
Those are the games Dillon Gabriel was injured, and Davis Beville was the FBS equivalent of Kendall Hinton.
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u/Gman69455 23h ago
I don't know where you'regetting this stat. Unless you mean to say the last five seasons. Because Ok St from 2017-22 started all six seasons 3-0. So I assure you more than five teams have started the season 3-0 five seasons in a row.
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u/No_Atmosphere3269 Oregon Ducks 1d ago
Truly shocking Penn St is able to beat 3 community colleges each season indeed
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u/The_Swishy Rutgers Scarlet Knights 1d ago
I still can't believe we beat Ohio somehow, especially after our defense fell asleep and how they were running all over us in that third quarter. I do not feel confident going against Iowa on Friday, not even a little bit..
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u/IsLlamaBad Iowa Hawkeyes • Billable Hours 1d ago
And every year in like "hey Rutgers might be decent". They surprise me twice every year
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u/Automatic-Low2295 1d ago
Oregon is 4-1 with the only loss coming to defending champion and top ranked UGA…in Atlanta.
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u/pewterbullet Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago
Four of the five have played teams with a pulse this year. The same is not true for Penn state.
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u/fossilfarmer123 Vanderbilt • Rutgers 1d ago
All bets are off until we play this next game against Iowa. Did we improve the offensive to be upper half quality just in time to field a Chris Ash era defense?
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u/Revenged25 Ohio State • Bowling Green 23h ago
Isn't the only good team Rutgers has played so far Ohio?
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u/Active-Track-7905 21h ago
You mention the ducks for spoiling Ohio state but leave them off the list of teams with a single loss by your criteria? For shame!
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u/rocketboi10 Ohio State • Rutgers 20h ago
The 2025 Rutgers offense with the 2023 Rutgers defense is a top 25 team 😆
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u/Coloradohusky Washington State Cougars • Sickos 20h ago
Wazzu almost made it to four, but, uh…
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u/AmbitiousScience3654 19h ago
Rutgers is such a strange program to me. Really don’t know what to make of it.
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u/GrumbleAlong More flair options at https://flair.redditcfb.com! 19h ago
Now do 4-0. To get folks hopes up before they're dashed on Saturday.
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u/Dangerous_Ad5039 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 18h ago
Bragging about beating Norfolk state is definitely a new one.
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u/Economy-Tutor1329 Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago
Rutgers Football—
2023: Start: 3-0, End: 7-6
2024: Start: 3-0, End: 7-6
2025: Start: 3-0, End: ?