A Friday night homecoming game is on tap for the Huskies as they take on the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers! Our staff has their predictions below!
Max Vrooman (4-1 SU, 1-4 ATS)
A third straight week of playing an opponent coming off a bye to start conference play. Hooray! This should be by far the easiest test of the three though even having to factor in that Washington had to fly back cross-country and plays on a short week. The Huskies absolutely would love revenge for one of the dumbest games of the 2024 season when they lost at Rutgers on a Friday night (the 2nd lowest post-game win expectancy of any FBS game last year). That will be easier because the Rutgers defense is not good. They’ve given up 30+ points 3x already this season to Ohio, Iowa, and Minnesota. If Washington can’t clear that bar then the injuries on the left side of the OL will have been devastating. The offense meanwhile is very dangerous. QB Athan Kaliakmanis has taken a leap as a senior after several mediocre seasons and RB Antwan Raymond leads the conference in missed tackles forced. The receiving corps features 6’6 KJ Duff and 6’3 Ian Strong who each have 400+ yards already plus shifty slot receiver DT Sheffield with 326 yards. Washington is one of the few teams with the size to counter their outside duo (especially if Tacario Davis does return) but DT Sheffield could feast against UW’s underwhelming slot options. I don’t foresee Washington getting much pressure with their edge rushers but the DL has played well enough in recent weeks that Raymond shouldn’t completely overwhelm and I don’t see Rutgers passing the ball all over the yard especially in some potential rain.
Washington- 36, Rutgers- 24
Mark Schafer (4-1 SU, 1-4 ATS)
Last season, the road game against Rutgers represented a missed opportunity for this Husky team to assert their place in the Big Ten. This year, they have already won a Big Ten road game in dramatic fashion against Maryland last week, and look to continue that momentum at home, with a Homecoming crowd behind them. The MO is the same as it was last week, in my mind. Demond, Jonah and Denzel are the three best players and it’s incumbent upon them to get theirs and to make the plays that we know they can make. But, as with last week, to win this game we’ll need a big performance from someone unheralded or young and for the defense to continue its positive momentum and keep contain, as quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and running back Antwan Raymond are the chief threats of the Scarlet Knights offense. We’ll see who steps up on defense this week and if ZRS makes his debut or if Tacario Davis comes back it could be that extra injection of energy the defense needs. I do hope that the Dawgs start fast and stay aggressive throughout the game, but I’m electing to play it safe for this one. If I’m wrong, I’d much rather the Dawgs win by a lot more than the alternative. If the start is like the Apple Cup and not Maryland, I think I will be!
Washington-28, Rutgers-21
Andrew Berg (5-0 SU, 1-4 ATS)
The Dawgs will play a non-traditional Big 10 opponent for the second week in a row, but Rutgers could hardly be any more different from Maryland on the field. The Terps were defined by an unheralded but excellent defense and an exciting, young QB. Rutgers has been known for its defense under Greg Schiano, but they have not played that way in 2025. The Rutgers offense was able to grind the UW defense into dust with their ground game last year. They have had a more explosive passing attack this year. Athan Kaliakmanis, in his fourth year as a B1G starter after transferring from Minnesota, is averaging a career-best 8.8 yards per attempt. They feature three receivers averaging at least 14 yards per catch with 20 or more receptions already. They still run the ball well with Antwan Raymond. It adds up to a pretty good offense that ranks 32nd nationally in Expected Points Added. On the other side, Rutgers has one of the worse defenses in the country. They rank 116th in defensive EPA and 123rd in success rate. They are especially bad against the pass and they have given up many long drives that end in points. You don’t need advanced stats to tell you that giving up 69 combined points to the poor Iowa and Minnesota offenses the last two games is less than optimal. There are reasons for concern. The Huskies are playing their 3rd game in 13 days, all against teams coming off byes. No FBS team has had that scheduling challenge in the last two seasons. As long as the coaches can get the team to come out sharp, there are many more yards to be had through the air, especially on play action, than there have been against Ohio State or Maryland. I can always find reason to worry, but the underlying matchups favor UW.
Washington 37 – Rutgers 24
Prediction Stats
Straight Up: Washington-3, Rutgers-0
Against The Spread: Washington-2, Rutgers-1
Average Score: Washington-34, Rutgers-23
Let us know your picks in the comment section below!