If you are a Rutgers fan, our sincerest apologies go out to you because you probably woke up wondering if the Scarlet Knights really lost to a UMass team that didn't win a single game in 2025. That's right, Rutgers lost its opening game of 2026 under Greg Schiano, 37-21 to the Minutemen.
While this is a tough pill to swallow for Rutgers and its fans, for the rest of the Big Ten, especially teams with the Scarlet Knights on their schedule, like Michigan, this has them feeling pretty good. With the way the calendar falls, there is only one official bye week this year for the Wolverines, but now, with how Rutgers looked on Thursday night, Michigan has two.
Final pic.twitter.com/9nScYrGfvJ
— Rutgers Football 🪓 (@RFootball) September 4, 2026
Rutgers looked like a team playing without an ounce of fire, well, until the Scarlet Knights realized they were actually gonna lose the game and started showing a small amount of life on the field. It just wasn't enough in the end. Now, everyone is looking at Rutgers as the laughingstock of college football, especially after setting off fireworks after the loss.
Michigan has to feel really good knowing they face Rutgers on Halloween before heading into a tough month of football in November. It could give the Wolverines some time to get some rest for their starters.
Michigan's game against Rutgers will come at the perfect time for the Wolverines
Michigan is facing an extremely tough schedule this season with six preseason-ranked teams set to face the Wolverines. So, any game that can be a little easier for Kyle Whittingham and Co. needs to be used to the fullest extent.
Now, Rutgers could turn things around, but with the way that team looked against UMass, who was 0-12 in 2025, there isn't a lot of hope. For Michigan, that is great, as they face Rutgers on Oct. 31, one week after back-to-back ranked matchups and before heading into November, stacked with ranked talent.
Starting Nov. 7, Michigan will face in-state rival Michigan State, and rivalry games always bring a little more juice. Then, it's back-to-back matchups against West Coast teams as the Wolverines travel to Oregon to face off against the preseason No. 2 Ducks and then host UCLA, a team many are keeping an eye on this season under a new head coach.
Then, as always, the Wolverines will finish the regular season against preseason No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus. So November is stacked, and Michigan should get a reprieve with Rutgers at the end of October.
If the Wolverines can build enough of a lead early, they could spend most of the second half resting their starters, gearing them up for a long month of football in November, almost acting as an extra bye week for Michigan.
It is almost sad to see how bad Rutgers was in Week 1, but the Wolverines will happily take the extra "bye week" when they take on the Scarlet Knights later on in the season.
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