It's the ultimate backdoor to the college football postseason. And it makes no sense for Rutgers.
When last seen all the way back on Thanksgiving weekend, Rutgers was getting absolutely crushed at home by a Maryland team that had lost six of its previous seven games, losing 40-16.
The Scarlet Knights haven't been in a bowl game since 2014, the second-longest bowl drought among Power 5 programs, and the loss meant a bowl invitation again wouldn't be coming.
The team stopped practicing. The top players began the next phase of their careers. The season was over.