Rutgers Scarlet Knights Always Held Key To Dominate NCAA Football

You know the old saying, "Location, location, location?" 

Rutgers, the "Sleeping Giant" that's just started to awaken, has always had the location to dominate college football.  Perenial football power has always been well within Rutgers' reach.

New Jersey is a state with a large population.  Its 9 million people place it No. 11 in the country.  Unlike most other states, New Jersey only has one major college football team to share the in-state talent—Rutgers.

As the state keeps getting more territorial about its state university and high school players continue to become more loyal to their home, Rutgers will be on a path that leads to success on a yearly basis.

And the state has shown more loyalty toward football:  The crowds in the stadium have grown and the in-state talent is starting to stay home more each year.

This year Rutgers will be getting commitments from 10-12 New Jersey blue chippers.  That never happened before Greg Schiano arrived.  Before Schiano took over as coach, Rutgers was lucky to get one or two.

Not only is New Jersey's population large, but the state is small enough in size so that player's parents and friends can easily drive to every home game, and that's a selling point!

Take Florida for example:  It's the country's fourth largest state with 19 million people. 

One of the reasons that Miami's football program has been on decline since its last National Championship (2001) might have something to do with the state now having more major college football teams—more teams to share the in-state talent.

It used to be there was just Miami, Florida and Florida State.  Now USF, UCF, FIU, and FAU have to be added to the list. 

FIU, located a couple of miles from Miami's campus, hasn't won any recruiting wars against the Hurricanes but it's bound to happen, especially with the success they had in 2010 (Sun Belt champions & Little Caesers bowl winner).

Texas is the nation's second largest state (25 million) but it has to share its in-state talent with their 10 major college teams.  California, the nation's largest state (37 million) has to share its home grown talent with seven major college teams.

Even if you divide 37 million by seven, it still falls short of the in-state talent at Rutgers' disposal.

Tennessee (6 million) has five teams, Michigan (10 million) has five teams, and Ohio (12 million) has to share its in-state talent with its eight major college football teams.

New York (19 million) is the third largest state and can claim that Syracuse and Buffalo are the only major college football teams in the state. This would give each approximately the same talent pool that Rutgers is privy to.

Technically New York does house a third major college football program (Army) even though it recruits on a national level.

New York is much larger in area than New Jersey and its harder for everyone in the state to get to Syracuse or Buffalo in a two hour drive.

Aside from being heavily populated, New Jersey produces some of the best football players in the nation.  It's not on the level of Florida, Texas, or California but its right behind them with about seven or eight other states—New York is not one of them.

It's just a matter of location:  Rutgers is closer than any other school in the country to so many quality high school football players.

This is why Rutgers is still known as the "Sleeping Giant" of NCAA football.