Athlon Sports projects Rutgers to participate in Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Rutgers Football has found itself in many projections for bowl season in 2024.

The Scarlet Knights return loads of talent on both sides of the ball and expect to reach the six-win mark and beyond. Defensively, Rutgers could have one of the best units in the Big Ten while it welcomes a new quarterback in Athan Kaliakmanis to run the show offensively.

Greg Schiano led the Scarlet Knights back to bowl season in 2023 after a 6-6 regular season. Rutgers defeated Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium to finish the year. Now, expectations are high in Piscataway and the team is expected to return.

Many projections have been put out and Athlon Sports recently shared its list for 2024 bowl season. The publication placed the matchup of Rutgers vs. Louisville in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Athlon Sports Big Ten Bowl Projections

There was a total of 13 Big Ten teams featured in the bowl predictions, including three taking part in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

• Alamo Bowl: USC vs. Kansas State
• Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Missouri
• Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Rutgers vs. Louisville
• Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
• Holiday Bowl: Washington vs. Virginia Tech
• Music City Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Kentucky
• Pinstripe Bowl: Maryland vs. NC State
• Quick Lane Bowl: Michigan State vs. Northern Illinois
• Reliaquest Bowl: Nebraska vs. Tennessee
• CFB Playoff First Round: No. 9 Michigan vs. No. 8 Alabama
• CFB Playoff First Round: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Ole Miss
• CFB Playoff First Round: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty
• CFB Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl): No. 2 Ohio State vs. TBD

Duke’s Mayo Bowl History

This particular game has been taking place since 2002 and has been sponsored by four different companies. It began as the Continental Tire Bowl in 2002. This ran for three years before it was rebranded as the Meineke Car Care Bowl. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl began in 2020 when it replaced the Belk Bowl.

• Dec. 30, 2020 - Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28
• Dec. 30, 2021 - South Carolina 38, North Carolina 21
• Dec. 30, 2022 - Maryland 16, No. 25 NC State 12
• Dec. 27, 2023 - West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10

Rutgers has taken part in bowl season in two of the last three years. Of course, a five-win Scarlet Knight team replaced Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl in 2021. Last season marked the first legitimate appearance for Rutgers since the Quick Lane Bowl in 2014. This was the final of three consecutive appearances and a streak of nine in 10 years.

Schiano ended his first tenure in Piscataway with a record of 5-1 in bow games and led Rutgers to bowl season in six of his final seven years. If the Scarlet Knights are headed to Charlotte this year, fans will look forward to seeing Schiano get a mayo bath following a victory.