I know that this is west coast sports blog and I should be writing a post about USC instead of Rutgers, so forgive me as a I gloat a little at some close family members’ expense.  It  all begins with non-USC Trojan fans calling the school a semi-pro college while I would agree with them to agree to agree.   Yet, USC has never gone slow low as Rutgers, NJ State’s University.

The low started in 2012 when Rutgers self destroyed a nine game winning streak and a chance for BSC bowl bid after accepting an invitation to join the Big Ten by losing their last three games.

And the downward spiral continued when they fired their basketball coach Mike Rice for physically and verbally abusing his players only to hire Julie Hermann as their new Athletic Director in 2013, who was also accused of emotionally and verbally abusing Tennessee’s women’s volleyball team she coach.

Now in 2015, you have wonder if the downward spiral has finally hit a new low with the three more scandals now hanging over them.  First scandal- they had to suspend five football players after they were arrested for robbery and home invasion,  The next scandal- another football player was arrested after their game with Washington State for domestic violence and he was also suspended. The last but biggest scandal- they had to suspend their football coach Kyle Flood for trying to fix a grade of one his players who would be part of the group of five players to be suspended in the first scandal.

To be honest with you this situation is nothing that I should be gloating over because this is a very sad and disgraceful situation bought on by someone’s bad decision to say that the school would make money off it sports programs especially football, and the only way to make this money in college football is put your team in bowl games especially the BSC Bowl game where the big money looms.

So this person thought it would be wise to accept a Big Ten invitation where Rutgers would have a shot at playing in the Rose Bowl.  But what this person did not accept or care to accept is the pressure that you put on players and coaches when you put them in a situation way over their heads.

The first tell sign of this pressure is back 2012 when the football team blew a nine game winning streak after finding out about playing in the Big Ten.  There is  pressure because there is a big difference between playing in the Big East and the Big Ten.  The competition level is lot higher in the later.

The second tell tale sign pressure is when Flood attempted to get his player’s grade change because he is under to pressure to win and he needed that players to win.

You know why I consider this so disgraceful is because this college was never like this when I grew back in the seventies.  How do I know this?  I grew up near New Brunswick where the school is located, so that is why this whole mess makes me angry.

You went to Rutgers for a good solid education back when I grew up.  The school was known for good grades over sports.  Now, its money over everything else, and that is disgraceful.

You know what is never mention or taken pride in?  How many New Jerseyans even know that Rutgers played an important part in the development of college football.  That is right.  Rutgers and Princeton played the first ever college football in 1863.  Every year until Rutgers went into division one football, those two school played each other.  Now this has also gone the way of good grades.

As much as I would hope all these scandals would change the direction of the school, I seriously doubt it because there is too much money to made to seriously consider to change. So, do not be surprised when you see NCAA sanctions coming Rutgers’ way in the future.