Rutgers-Minnesota picks, predictions: Can Scarlet Knights win F.A.M.I.L.Y. bowl?

Rutgers looks to get back to winning ways against some familiar faces.

The Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4) host Minnesota (6-3, 4-2) at SHI Stadium on Saturday (noon, NBC) in their first game following their second bye week of the 2024 season. Head coach Greg Schiano's team will look to snap a four-game losing skid against a scorching Golden Gopher team riding a four-game winning streak.

There are a lot of connections between both sides.

Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck was the wide receivers coach in Piscataway over a decade ago, while defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman was the linebackers coach at Rutgers in the past two seasons. On the other side, Scarlet Knights quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis spent the first three seasons of his career in Minneapolis, offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca coached the Gophers under Fleck in two separate stints and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak was there for three seasons prior to coming to Piscataway.

Can Rutgers come out on top of the F.A.M.I.L.Y. bowl?

The cast of the Rutgers Rant is back to give its best guess.

Here's the leaderboard through eight games (mobile users, click to see the graphic):

Here's what the NJ Advance Media crew thinks about this Saturday's matchup (Minnesota -6.5):

Steve Politi, columnist

I subscribe to the theory that teams will eventually return to the mean, and no matter what the Big Ten standings say, I don't think Minnesota is nearly as good as its 6-3 record. If the Scarlet Knights win the turnover battle — and they're due, right, to have a couple? — they'll have a shot in the fourth quarter of this game. That's when Athan Kaliakmanis will have his best performance at Rutgers to knock his former team down a couple notches.

: Rutgers 27, Minnesota 23.

Pat Lanni, beat reporter

In a lot of ways, Rutgers is playing a better version of the team it wanted to be. Maybe that should be expected with all the connections between the coaching staffs. Either way, this is better matchup for Rutgers than, say, Southern Cal. Minnesota won't be as explosive, but it executes at a high level in all three phases. Nothing exemplifies that more than its turnover margin, which at +12 ranks sixth nationally. While Rutgers will be better defensively against a balanced Minnesota offense, the Golden Gophers are just better at this point.

: Minnesota 30, Rutgers 21.

Brian Fonseca, beat reporter

Minnesota is the best team remaining on the Scarlet Knights' schedule, but it might also be the most beatable opponent on the slate, too. Much like Rutgers, the Gophers are not built to win in blowouts: four of their six wins this season have come by one score, with a 48-23 obliteration of Maryland being the lone exception in Big Ten play. The Scarlet Knights will have a chance of stealing this game in the fourth quarter after a resurgent performance from their struggling defense, but Minnesota's superior talent and knack for making big defensive plays down the stretch will allow it to close out a tight victory.

: Minnesota 20, Rutgers 14.