To appreciate what the Big Ten has meant to Rutgers University through its first four seasons playing in the conference, one should play the what-if game.
What if Rutgers didn’t get the call to join college athletic’s most tradition-rich conference and remained in the American Athletic Conference?
While the Scarlet Knights have struggled mightily in Big Ten competition since 2014-15, there’s no guarantee life would’ve been any easier in the fledgling league formed as a result of the Big East breakup.
After all, Rutgers teams won just 40 percent of its league games in its lone campaign in the American Athletic Conference.