There is some debate going on about whether or not Rutgers plays a strong enough non-conference schedule. With the strength of the Big Ten, Rutgers’s overall strength of schedule is always good, but some believe their non-conference portion leaves something to be desired.
The Big Ten is a grueling 20-game gauntlet of games, and can more than makeup for a weak non-conference schedule. Rutgers ranks dead last among the 14 Big Ten schools in NCSOS according to KenPom, but that ranking is slightly misleading.
Just one Big Ten team, Michigan State, played a top 100 non-conference schedule (according to Kenpom).