Rutgers hits rock bottom after embarrassing Week 1 loss

Rutgers Football head coach Greg Schiano might find his seat getting a little toasty. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rutgers hits rock bottom after embarrassing Week 1 loss

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Sep 3, 2026 9:44 PM ET

Welcome back college football, we missed you.

Well, most of us did. Fans of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, however, may already be looking ahead to the 2027 season after what happened in Piscataway on Thursday night.

Rutgers welcome in the UMass Minutemen, a team that has won just seven games in 58 tries over the previous five seasons. What was supposed to be a tune-up game for the Scarlet Knights to get their season started quickly turned into one of the bigger upsets in recent memory.

UMass stuns the nation in Week 1

Closing as 29.5-point underdogs, the Minutemen marched into Rutgers and pulled off the biggest upset in the sport since 2021 with a 37-21 over the Scarlet Knights.

With the stunning win, UMass pulled its biggest point-spread upset in program history, surpassing its previous mark of 16.5 points. The 29.5-point upset is the largest in Week 1 since Appalachian State (+33) knocked off No. 5 Michigan to begin the 2007 season.

How ‘bout those Minutemen!?#FlyTheFlag #Flagship pic.twitter.com/WaAoT4oHf7
— UMass Football (@UMassFootball) September 4, 2026

UMass received $1.55 million from Rutgers to beat the Scarlet Knights
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 4, 2026

UMass knocking off Rutgers was utterly improbable

Upsets in college football happen all the time but in the case of what happened on Thursday in New York, it was nearly impossible.

UMass hadn't beaten anyone since Oct. 26, 2024, against Wagner. To make things even more improbable, the Minutemen hadn't knocked off an FBS opponent since Aug. 26, 2023. against New Mexico State.

The win for UMass snapped the longest winless streak in the FBS, just another example of what made the final result so shocking to the college football world.

UMass was dead last nationally at 3.8 yards per play last season.

Currently at 6.8 yards per play against Rutgers, a number that would've been top-10 nationally last year.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) September 4, 2026

MOOD!!! @UMassFootball | #MACtion pic.twitter.com/ABiSwYnG4E
— MACtion (@MACSports) September 4, 2026

Greg Schiano's seat has to be on fire after the loss

Rutgers entered Thursday in its seventh season under head coach Greg Schiano. If Thursday was any sign of things to come, the Scarlet Knights will be conducting a head coach search sooner rather than later.

Schiano will certainly have to get his group regrouped and refocused. Rutgers has a date at Boston College in Week 2 before returning home in Week 3 to host USC in its Big Ten opener.

Losses in both of those games could very well signal the end of the line for Schiano in his second stint with the program.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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