PISCATAWAY -- Several years ago, when the 2017 Rutgers football schedule was released, back-to-back games against Illinois and Purdue looked like a chance for a two-game Big Ten winning streak.
That still was the case in August.
And, even though Purdue's surprisingly fast start has made it an eight-point favorite, it can't be written off just yet.
A win would leave Rutgers fans feeling encouraged about the progress in Year 2 of the Chris Ash Era ... and probably a little frustrated, too.
Why? Because one of the great unanswerable questions is: How would Rutgers fare year-in year-out in the Big Ten West Division, away from Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State?