Thursday, August 28, 2014, 10:00 PM, FOX Sports 1

Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

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The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will start off their first season as a Big 10 team with an out-of-conference game against the Washington State Cougars.

Rutgers did not do as well as they were expected to in 2013 and finished with a 6-7 record. They had an offense that couldn't move the ball and a defense that gave up 29.8 points per game, which was 81st in the nation.

The Scarlet Knights may be coming into a tougher conference following a bad season, but they might surprise people this year simply because of how much experience they have on their team. They are expected to focus on running the ball this year with Paul James and Justin Goodwin, who combined for 1351 yards a year ago, back in the backfield.

Washington State did pretty much what they were expected to do in 2013, finishing with a 4-5 record in the Pac-12 and a 6-7 record overall. They did play well in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl against Colorado State, but they ended up losing 48-45. The Cougars had one of the best passing games in the nation last year, but they also gave up 32.5 points per game.

Quarterback Connor Halliday, who threw for 4597 yards and 34 touchdowns last year, will return to try to help the Washington State move up the Pac-12 standings this season. The Cougars are also returning most of their best defensive players, so they should improve on that side of the ball.

Tony's Pick: Take Rutgers

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