Anything less than a 6-6 record and a bowl game appearance will likely be considered a failure for Rutgers in 2018, its third season under head coach Chris Ash.
The Scarlet Knights had steadily improved from two wins in 2016 following the disastrous end of the Kyle Flood era, to four in 2017, and now they are looking at a schedule that, on paper, presents a realistic path to bowl eligibility.
Step one on the road to a bowl, though, is to identify a starting quarterback. Rutgers still has more questions than answers at that position as it prepares for the start of spring practice in March.