Football junkies get what they've been asking for

Doug McKenzie

After further review

I honestly can't remember the last time I was this excited about going to a football game.

I just hope I can maintain some level of objectivity while sitting up at the press box at Rutgers Stadium on Thursday. At the same time, I know that I won't be the only writer secretly pulling for the Scarlet Knights when they play host to third-ranked Louisville in what is being billed as the biggest game in Rutgers' history.

In truth, it's probably bigger than that. This is the biggest college football game in state history - and one that a lot of people never imagined was possible.

For as long as I've been a sportswriter, people have been asking me why Rutgers can't produce a big-time college football team. With the quantity and quality of solid high school football players the state of New Jersey routinely pumps out, it's always been somewhat of a mystery as to why our state's best players always packed their bags when it came time to play at the next level.

There is an enormous population of college football junkies in New Jersey (myself included) who have been yearning for the opportunity to see their state school join the national championship picture.

And now, with the Scarlet Knights sporting an 8-0 record heading into tomorrow night's game, they appear to be ahead of schedule in that regard.

Following last year's thrilling loss to Arizona State at the Insight Bowl, Rutgers football was a hot topic, with people across the state beginning to come to grips with the fact that some of the things that Greg Schiano promised would happen when he took charge of the program back in December of 2000 were coming to light. The Scarlet Knights were a legitimate top 25 team, with legitimate top 25 talent, and a blossoming head coach who was making believers out of everyone, including his players.

And the sudden popularity of the Scarlet Knights has snowballed since then, with more and more people joining the RU bandwagon with each passing victory this season.

While there are surely a few diehard Scarlet Knights fans out there who are annoyed by this wave of goodwill from the same people who scoffed at the notion of Rutgers being a football power six years ago, for the most part, the rise of this program should be embraced in this way.

It's what we've all been asking for all along.

Every Saturday, across the nation, college football is a uniting force - an event that in many cases can shut down an entire state - while two teams line up across from each other and play a game.

New Jersey has never experienced the type of excitement and camaraderie big-time college football can produce.

Until now.

For a glimpse at the type of excitement tomorrow night's game has generated across the state, all you had to do was talk to someone in the Rutgers athletic department. While they have done their usual stellar job accommodating as many requests as possible, it has been an exercise in chaos control over the past two weeks at Rutgers.

And if the Scarlet Knights can somehow find a way to win tomorrow night, that chaos is likely to become the norm from here on out.

As for the Scarlet Knights' chances of actually beating Louisville - well, nobody really knows what to expect. While the point spread seems to be rising, a lot of that has to do with Louisville's superb performance in beating West Virginia last week on national television. If Louisville brings a similar effort to Piscataway tomorrow night, it could be a long night for the Rutgers faithful.

Personally, I hope Rutgers finds a way to win. I know I'm not supposed to say that, being a journalist and all, but simply put, what this Rutgers team is doing is good for business.

I've waited a long time for the opportunity to cover a big-time college football game in my own backyard.

So tomorrow night, while sitting up in the press box at Rutgers Stadium, I'll be soaking in the experience every bit of the way.

And if pumping my fist every now and then makes me less of a journalist, so be it.

No unwritten rule of professional conduct is going to keep me from enjoying this one.