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When surveying the Big Ten's most influential rivalries, Minnesota-Rutgers does not come to mind for anybody. The Minnesota-Rutgers series is one of the least played in the Big Ten, not involving the West Coast schools. Yet, NBC will give Rutgers-Minnesota a rare Big Saturday *Noon* spot, making this arguably the most relevant rendition of this young "rivalry."
Rutgers and Minnesota have three prior meetings. All three were inconsequential. Thus, the Big Ten treated them as such.
The Big Ten Network aired the 2019 and 2022 meetings, while ESPNU received the 2016 meeting. None of these meetings exceeded 302,000 viewers, with the 2022 meeting being the peak.
This year, Rutgers-Minnesota gets the NBC treatment at noon since Notre Dame takes the primetime spot this weekend on the network. The game serves as a bit of counterprogramming to Fox's Big Noon Kickoff, which hosts ratings juggernaut Ohio State's game against 1-7 Purdue. Overall, this is a down week for the Big Ten, opening the door for Minnesota and Rutgers to receive the over-the-air TV limelight.
Beyond the NBC exposure, the Rutgers-Minnesota game could have coveted bowl implications. Although Minnesota is 6-3, they are in the heat of the race for the Big Ten's two most prestigious non-Playoff bowls, the Citrus and the Reliaquest (formerly Outback) Bowls. A winning streak to end the season could create a three-game gap between them and Michigan, the most coveted team in the Big Ten bowl pool. This three-game gap would prevent the Citrus or Reliaquest from picking Michigan over Minnesota, opening the door for Minnesota's third appearance in one of the two revered Florida bowls ever.
The game also has bowl implications for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights can increase its chances exponentially with a win. The Scarlet Knights need this win to get back on track with a 4-4 record and games against Michigan State and Illinois remaining. Rutgers arguably needs a 7-5 finish to avoid sliding to the Guaranteed Rate Bowl or Quick Lane Bowl if bowl-eligible. Rutgers' appearance in the 2023 Pinstripe Bowl, which has the third-to-last choice of Big Ten bowl partners, could cause this slide.
The only game in the three-meeting history of the Minnesota-Rutgers that rivals the magnitude of this meeting is the 2019 meeting. Minnesota was 6-0 and ranked #20 in the AP Poll but faced a listless 1-5 Rutgers squad with just a win over UMass. However, the Big Ten's primary TV partners passed on this game, sending it to the Big Ten Network. Additionally, hardly anyone took Minnesota seriously to that point. Their #20 ranking, despite a 6-0 start, indicates this.
Casual fans will write off this week's Minnesota-Rutgers game as a waste of time and network TV air space. However, the diversity of teams appearing on network TV within the Big Ten is encouraging. Furthermore, Big Ten fans could grow bored of Ohio State-Purdue, given the Boilermakers' 1-7 record. A Buckeye blowout of Purdue could put the eyes of the Midwest on Rutgers-Minnesota.
