Rutgers Football: Orange Bowl a Fantasy, Top 25 a Reality

Let's stop talking about Rutgers going to the Orange Bowl.  It's not going to happen!  It would take more than a miracle.

First, Rutgers has to take care of its own business—they have to travel to East Hartford and beat UConn on Saturday.  If Louisville wins their game against USF on Friday, Rutgers' chances for an automatic BCS bid will almost be dashed before they step on the field at UConn.

Playing on the road against UConn (4-6) will not be an automatic win.  UConn is 4-2 at home  and playing the spoiler role will serve as motivation for ending their season on a winning note. 

The odds-makers have only made Rutgers a three point favorite.

Louisville, the winner of four of their last five games, plays at USF on Friday. 

Since USF's 4-0 start, the Bulls have lost five out of their last six games and sit in the cellar of the Big East Conference.

At the moment there is no line on this game because it isn't clear if USF's starting quarterback B.J. Daniels is going to play.  Daniels missed most of the second half against Miami on Saturday with a shoulder injury.

If Louisville beats USF, they will win at least a share of the Big East Championship and be very alive for a trip to the Orange Bowl.

Besides a USF win over Louisville, Rutgers is also going to need West Virginia to lose one of its two remaining games.

On Friday, the Mountaineers host Pittsburgh in the traditional Backyard Brawl. 

They've opened as an eight point favorite to beat Pittsburgh.  If they win this game, and they should, Rutgers chances for an automatic BCS bid will still be alive, if Louisville loses.

West Virginia closes their regular season on Dec 1st at USF.  A loss at USF would help Rutgers stay alive, if Louisville loses to USF this Friday.

It may sound confusing, and it is, but in its simplest form, Rutgers needs to beat UConn and have Louisville lose to USF and have West Virginia lose one of its last two games.

While this scenario is a huge long shot, the chances for Rutgers to finish the regular season with a top 25 ranking, and a share of the Big East title, are very good--just beat UConn.

If Rutgers wins on Saturday they are guaranteed a tie for first with a 5-2 Big East Conference record and will claim a share of the crown.

Rutgers (8-3) is currently ranked No. 26 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.  A win on Saturday would likely propel them into the top 25.

No. 25 Virginia is expected to lose their regular season final at No. 5 Virginia Tech.  No. 24 Notre Dame is expected to lose their regular season final at No. 6  Stanford, and No. 21 Georgian Tech is expected to to lose to No. 13 Georgia in their last game.

It's also not out of the realm for No. 22 Nebraska to lose to a good Iowa team and for No. 23 West Virginia to lose to Pitt.

So even if Rutgers doesn't get an invite to the Orange bowl, with a win over UConn they can put the final touch on a stellar regular season and set their sights on going to the best bowl game in the school's history.