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Rutgers released its full 2012 football schedule on Tuesday -- its first slate under new head coach Kyle Flood.

The Scarlet Knights will kick off the season with a road game at Tulane on Saturday, Sept. 1.

Here is the full schedule:

Saturday, Sept. 1: at Tulane
Saturday, Sept. 8: Howard
Saturday, Sept. 15: at South Florida
Saturday, Sept. 22: at Arkansas
Saturday, Oct. 6: Connecticut
Saturday, Oct. 13: Syracuse
Saturday, Oct. 20: at Temple
Saturday, Oct. 27: Kent State (Homecoming)
Saturday, Nov. 10: Army
Saturday, Nov. 17: at Cincinnati
Saturday, Nov. 24: at Pittsburgh
Thursday, Nov. 29: Louisville

Rutgers power forward Gilvydas Biruta is transferring to another school, Rutgers announced on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-8 sophomore from Lithuania started all 32 games for Rutgers this season, averaging 9.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He was a key contributor for the Scarlet Knights the past two years -- this is a significant blow for the program.

“Gilvydas is a fine young man and we appreciate his contributions to the program,” said Rutgers coach Mike Rice in a statement. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors, both on and off the court.”

NEW YORK -- When the final horn mercifully sounded Tuesday night, just before 11:30 p.m., Mike Rice wasted no time exiting the Madison Square Garden floor.

After the perfunctory handshakes with the opposing coaches and players, the Rutgers head coach stopped on a dime, turned and walked briskly back toward his team’s locker room, head down, shaking his noggin the whole way.

Who could blame him?

Rice had just watched his team go from up four at halftime to down 21 at the buzzer, and its season end in the process -- a 70-49 loss to Villanova in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

“Obviously it’s very hard to win a basketball game only scoring three field goals in the second half,” said Rice at the postgame news conference.

That’s right -- Rutgers had just three buckets, total, in the final 20 minutes of play. The Scarlet Knights shot 3-for-25 -- that translates to 12 percent, for those of you without your calculators handy.

Those numbers are so ugly, they might break your calculator.

Meanwhile Villanova, which trailed Rutgers 34-30 at intermission, outscored Rutgers 40-15 in the second half.

“We made some mental errors that led to their transition, led to their wide-open looks in the paint, and it just snowballed from there,” said Rice.

Villanova’s second-team All-Big East point guard Maalik Wayns schooled the Scarlet Knights to the tune of 28 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Rutgers freshman Eli Carter almost matched him, with 23 points of his own. But none of his teammates scored more than seven.

“A young team might not have responded as well as I would have liked, but these things happen,” Rice said. “Learn from it. Hopefully use that as motivation in the spring and the summer to improve, to get stronger, to maybe be able to finish some of the shots down in the paint. But that’s life when you have a very young basketball team.”

Rutgers is indeed a very young team, with mostly freshmen and sophomores in the rotation. The Scarlet Knights won’t be happy with their 14-18 final record, or the way they played in the final 20 minutes of their season. But there were a few bright spots, such as wins over Florida and UConn in late December and early January, when both teams were ranked in the Top 10.

Carter, a freshman, was the team’s leading scorer at 13.8 points per game. Several other young players, like fellow freshman guards Myles Mack and Jerome Seagears, showed promise at times. And with no seniors on the roster (besides a pair of walk-ons), the entire nucleus will be back -- plus Wally Judge, a talented transfer from Kansas State.

Junior forward Dane Miller, who will be the team’s senior leader next season, talked about how the team can improve after the game. “I think a couple things that we’ve got to work on is just attention to details,” Miller said. “Being locked in and being real focused on both ends of the court. I think now, as the games go by, we saw that you can’t win a lot of games like that without being focused. We just need to come in during the offseason and listen to Coach Rice and the whole coaching staff and we should be very successful.”

“We’re going to lock them in the weight room, too,” Rice said, chuckling.

That was about the only chuckle we saw from Rice after halftime Tuesday night. Rutgers has now endured six straight losing seasons, including the last two under his watch. But Rice sounded as confident as ever after the game, despite such a tough loss.

“It’s going to happen,” Rice said. “Rutgers is going to happen.”

Overview: Rutgers' second season under coach Mike Rice ends in very disappointing fashion, as the 11th-seeded Scarlet Knights are blown out by the 14th-seeded Villanova Wildcats in the opening round of the Big East tournament.

This game was there for the taking -- Rutgers actually led by four at the half! But things took a very different turn after intermission (see below).

Meanwhile Villanova, which had a very underwhelming regular season to say the least, goes on to play another day.

Turning point: Rutgers trailed Villanova 24-16 with 6:52 remaining in the first half, but from there the Scarlet Knights went on an 18-2 run to take a 34-26 lead, and led 34-30 at intermission. Rutgers shot 7-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half.

Villanova got off to a fast start in the second half, while Rutgers went ice-cold shooting the ball and had turnover problems, too. The Wildcats took control of the game with a 12-2 run to start the half, and never looked back. The Scarlet Knights' offensive numbers in the second half were simply abominable (see below). The outcome was a formality in the final minutes.

Key player: Maalik Wayns, Villanova's second-team All-Big East guard, was outstanding as usual, finishing with 28 points, six rebounds and four assists. Rutgers simply could not handle him.

For the Scarlet Knights, freshman guard Eli Carter was excellent, scoring 23 points. But no one else scored more than seven points.

Miscellaneous: Rutgers shot 13-for-30 in the first half (43.3 percent) overall, and as we said earlier, 7-for-11 from downtown. As for the second half? The Scarlet Knights were 3-for-25 (12 percent) -- it doesn't get much worse than that.

What's next: Villanova will face the No. 6 seed, South Florida, on Wednesday night at approximately 9:30 p.m.

Rutgers' season is over -- the Scarlet Knights finish with a record of 14-18, 6-12 in Big East regular season play.

Here are three halftime observations from the second game of the day here at the Big East tournament:

LATE SURGE: Rutgers trailed Villanova 24-16 with 6:52 remaining in the first half, but from there the Scarlet Knights ripped off an 18-2 stretch to take a 34-26 lead, and lead 34-30 at intermission. Rutgers god red-hot from the perimeter -- how hot? Well ...

THIS HOT: Rutgers shot a blistering 7-for-11 from downtown in the first 20 minutes. Eli Carter, who has a game-high 15 points, connected on three of four. Myles Mack has hit a pair, and Dane Miller and Jerome Seagears have one apiece. Coach Mike Rice said after Rutgers beat St. John's three nights ago that if his team just hit open shots, they'd be dangerous.

THE OTHER SIDE: Villanova is hanging in there by outscoring Rutgers 8-1 on the foul line. Maalik Wayns has nine points to lead the Wildcats.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Winning ugly -- that's what Rutgers did Saturday night.

But it counts just as much in the standings.

In the last game of the Big East regular season, the Scarlet Knights (14-17, 6-12 Big East) squeaked past St. John's, 61-58, and in the process gained the No. 11 seed in next week's Big East tournament.

The Red Storm (13-18, 6-12 Big East) lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with Rutgers, and have to settle for the No. 12 seed.

"This is a confidence builder, going into the Big East tournament," said Rutgers guard Mike Poole. "We just needed to get this win."

The game was far from aesthetically pleasing, but the biggest play of the day was a beauty -- Dane Miller's put-back one-handed slam off an Eli Carter miss with nine seconds left, putting Rutgers ahead 59-58.

"It's all about angles rebounding the ball," said Miller, who posted his seventh double-double of the season, with 10 points and 10 boards. "I knew where he shot it from, I just ran straight to the rim and I was in the air -- when the ball came out it went right to my hands."

"It's a fitting moment, especially of the way he's played the last four weeks of the season," said Rutgers coach Mike Rice. "When he gives that energy and that toughness, we're a much better team."

Neither squad led by more than five points over the course of 40 minutes. St. John’s guard D'Angelo Harrison missed a long 3-point attempt with under five seconds remaining -- and following a pair of Carter free throws, saw his half-court heave rim out at the buzzer, which would have tied the game.

"I had a chance to win it," said Harrison, who had a team-high 17 points but shot just 6-for-17 from the field. "I didn't take advantage of it."

Fellow Big East Rookie of the Year candidate Moe Harkless had an off night, with just eight points, shooting 4-for-15.

Neither team shot better than 37 percent from the field. But their performances at the foul line were drastically different. Rutgers made 16 of 21 attempts from the charity stripe; St. John's was just 10-for-22.

"It was a matter of us, our ability to hit our free throws," said St. John's coach Mike Dunlap. "You can talk about this play or that play, but that right there, that piece is glaring to me."

The Red Storm entered the game shooting 68.4 percent from the foul line, ranking them 196th in Division I -- the middle of the pack. But free throw misses have cost them dearly in several games this season.

As for Rutgers, Rice was happy with his team after the game, despite the fact they shot the ball so poorly -- including just 30 percent in the first half, which ended in a 25-25 tie.

"I was proud of them, and they didn't understand," Rice said. "It wasn't phony at halftime. I was really proud of our guys. They were awful, and yet they defended. And yet they just hung in there. They found a way, and in this league you have to do that."

Dunlap was proud of his guys, too, coming off an 89-69 pounding at Pittsburgh three nights before.

"For us to come in here off of the Pitt loss and perform the way we did, rock solid," Dunlap said. "Defensively I was really disappointed in our effort [against Pitt], and I thought our effort tonight was drastically different."

Rutgers, which won two of its last three to end the regular season, will now face No. 14 seed Villanova on Tuesday at 9 p.m. The Wildcats just beat the Scarlet Knights two nights ago at the RAC, 77-71.

"I hope this gives us energy. I hope this recharges our batteries," Rice said. "I like the fact that it's a quick turnaround with somebody who just got done beating you -- hopefully that's a little more added motivation."

St. John's also has a quick turnaround -- they get a rematch with No. 13 seed Pittsburgh, Tuesday at 2 p.m.

“We’ve gotta rebound better,” Dunlap said. “[Pitt] absolutely beat us from pillar to post off the glass. So that was something that I think we can correct.”

“They beat us pretty bad,” Harrison said, of Pittsburgh. “We felt like we didn’t play our brand of basketball. We’ll be at home, so we’ll definitely have a lift going into that game.”

Both teams finished with six conference wins. But for Rutgers, it’s their most Big East victories since 2005-06.

“They deserve it,” said Rice of his players. “They fought through a lot of different circumstances this year, especially for a young team.

“They’re getting better. They’re not as soft. They’re responding better. That’s all it is.”

Now these two teams, both chock-full of freshmen, wade farther into unchartered waters -- postseason play.

How will they handle this stage? We’ll find out starting Tuesday afternoon.

The regular season is in the books, folks.

March Madness has officially arrived.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- A quick take on Rutgers' 61-58 win over St. John's on Saturday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

WHAT IT MEANS: In the final game of the Big East regular season, Rutgers secures the No. 11 seed in next week's conference tournament. The Scarlet Knights (14-17, 6-12 Big East) will play No. 14 seed Villanova on Tuesday at 9 p.m.

St. John's (13-18, 6-12 Big East) falls to the No. 12 seed, and will play No. 13 seed Pittsburgh on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

THE SKINNY: The first 20 minutes was about as ugly as it gets, for both teams. St. John's shot 35.3 percent, Rutgers 30 percent. The Red Storm were 0-for-9 from 3-point range, and 1-for-7 from the foul line. Neither team led by more than five, and it was 25-all at intermission.

The second half wasn't much prettier. Trailing 42-38, St. John's went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a pair of D'Angelo Harrison treys, to make it 46-42 with just under eight minutes remaining. The game stayed tight from there. A 3-pointer by Myles Mack gave Rutgers back the lead, 57-56, with 1:16 remaining -- but then a putback by God'sGift Achiuwa made it 58-57 with 45 seconds left. Rutgers' Dane Miller followed that up with a spectacular one-hand jam off a rebound to make it 59-58 with nine seconds left.

Following a timeout, Harrison missed a deep 3-pointer with under five seconds to play. Eli Carter made two free throws with 2.6 seconds left, and Harrison's half-court heave at the buzzer hit the rim but bounced out -- close, but not enough.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Carter had a team-high 15 points for Rutgers. Mike Poole had 11, while Mack and Miller had 10 points apiece. Miller also had 10 rebounds.

Harrison led St. John's with 17 points, but shot just 6-for-17 from the field. Amir Garrett scored 14 points, and Achiuwa chipped in 12. Moe Harkless scored just eight points, and shot just 4-for-15.

NUMBER CRUNCH: Neither team shot better than 37 percent from the field for the game. And St. John's was just 10-for-22 from the foul line. It cost the Red Storm dearly.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden, starting Tuesday at noon.

Here are three things to watch for when St. John's (13-17, 6-11 Big East) takes on Rutgers (13-17, 5-12 Big East) Saturday night at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J.

Tip-off is at 8 p.m., and you can watch the game locally on MSG, or via ESPN3.

WHAT'S AT STAKE: This is the very last game of the Big East regular season to tip off. The winner of this game will be the No. 11 seed in the Big East tournament, while the loser will be the No. 12 seed. Both teams will have to play a first-round game on Tuesday -- the No. 11 seed will play Villanova at 9:30 p.m., while the No. 12 seed will play Pittsburgh at 2:30 p.m.

KEEP AN EYE ON: St. John's star forward Moe Harkless, who injured his right ankle in the Red Storm's 89-69 loss at Pitt on Wednesday night. Harkless has been pronounced ready to go, but let's see if he's hampered at all by the injury. St. John's will have a hard time beating anybody without Harkless at full strength. He's the team's second-leading scorer (15.2 ppg) and leading rebounder (8.5 rpg), a prime candidate for Big East Rookie of the Year.

ALSO KEEP AN EYE ON: Rutgers forward Dane Miller, who has been reluctant to shoot for most of the season, but has really come on of late. The talented junior, who is averaging 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, had a team-high 21 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Seton Hall last Saturday, and followed that up with 16 points and nine rebounds in a loss to Villanova two nights ago. When Miller is aggressive on offense, Rutgers is a much more dangerous team.

NEWARK, N.J. -- Sometimes games don't live up to a rivalry.

Saturday's contest between Seton Hall and Rutgers was not one of those games.

The Pirates and Scarlet Knights went toe to toe for 40 minutes, plus an extra five, in a 5 p.m. tip-off at a sold-out Prudential Center. And when it was all said and done, the underdogs from Piscataway had upset the favorites from South Orange, 77-72.

For Rutgers (13-16, 5-11 Big East), this snaps a brutal six-game losing streak, dating back to Feb. 1. For Seton Hall (19-10, 8-9), this puts the Pirates back on the NCAA tournament bubble, depending on who you ask.

"This is a hard one. This is tough. Disappointing on many levels," said Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard. "But I give them a lot of credit, they made some big shots, made some good plays."

This was a seesaw affair, with the lead changing hands 18 different times, plus nine tie scores. Seton Hall led by four at the half, Rutgers took a six-point lead in the second half, and the game wound up in overtime.

In the end, the final outcome came down to two plays. With the score tied at 72, Rutgers freshman guard Jerome Seagears buried a 3-pointer from the left corner with 13.2 seconds remaining. And on the ensuing possession, Seton Hall senior guard Jordan Theodore saw his game-tying attempt from beyond the arc go in and out.

"It was just that type of night for me tonight," said Theodore, who scored a team-high 17 points but shot just 4-for-14 from the field. "But I can't take nothing away from Rutgers. They came in here, they played really hard. They had some players step up for them tonight."

They certainly did. Seagears (16 points, six assists) and fellow freshman guard Eli Carter (17 points) were both potent from the perimeter. Sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta also chipped in 16 points and seven boards.

But the player of the game was junior swingman Dane Miller, who erupted for a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, with 16 of his points coming after intermission.

"Outstanding," said Rutgers coach Mike Rice, when asked about Miller's performance. "He was the best athlete on the floor, and he should be that every single night, to be honest with you."

Miller, who made the Big East All-Rookie team as a freshman two years ago, has turned into an enigma this season -- the rare player who is too unselfish, taking just 5.7 shots and averaging just 7.1 points per game, even though he is probably the most talented player on his team.

But Miller looked like a totally different player in the second half on Saturday, taking the ball to the basket time and time again.

"That's sometimes the frustrating part of Dane Miller," Rice said. "I'm always a glass-half-full guy. … But you just never know with Dane."

"He wants me to be aggressive and shoot the ball," Miller said of his coach. "Sometimes I find myself passing the ball too much, and really try to get my teammates the ball. That's something that I really wanna do, and I love doing that. So I just came out and tried to mix it up with both. It was definitely fun."

It was not fun for Seton Hall, however -- especially on Senior Night, the final home game for Theodore and forward Herb Pope (14 points, 12 rebounds), both of whom have had outstanding senior seasons.

"It's tough to lose on Senior Night. But really they just took it from us," said Theodore. "We couldn't get a stop to save our lives. Couldn't get a rebound, we couldn't get a loose ball. It felt like they were just a half-step faster than us tonight, and really, they outplayed us."

Take a look at the box score, and you'll understand why Theodore felt that way. Rutgers shot 29-for-55 from the field (52.7 percent), an astounding 10-for-15 from 3-point range (66.7 percent), and didn't miss a single shot in overtime.

Miller said the Scarlet Knights desperately wanted to avenge their 59-54 loss to Seton Hall in Piscataway earlier this month, and also wanted to try to spoil Seton Hall's chances of making the Big Dance.

"Before we left, we had a little meeting with the players about that," Miller said. "We sent text messages out last night about spoiling that chance."

The truth is, with an RPI in the low 30s, Seton Hall still has a good chance to make the field of 68, despite this loss. But the pressure is officially on to win the regular season finale at DePaul next Saturday.

"Obviously it hurts us," Willard said. "But we've still got another conference game. … We've gotta win on the road on Saturday."

As for the Scarlet Knights? They've put an end to a brutal stretch, and have two very winnable home games (Villanova, St. John's) left on the schedule.

"Not winning a game in the month of February, a lot of times you pack it in, you start to feel sorry for yourself," Rice said. "They grinded it out. And it was a great win."

Recap | Box score

NEWARK, N.J. -- A quick take on Rutgers' 77-72 overtime win over Seton Hall on Saturday evening in front of a sold-out crowd at the Prudential Center.

WHAT IT MEANS: Rutgers snaps its six-game losing streak and exacts revenge on Seton Hall for its win in Piscataway, 59-54 on Feb. 8. The Scarlet Knights are now 13-16 overall, and 5-11 in Big East play. This is a huge win for Mike Rice and his young team.

Seton Hall loses on Senior Night and drops to 19-10 overall, 8-9 in the conference. The Pirates better win their season finale at DePaul next Saturday night in order to feel good about their NCAA tournament chances.

THE SKINNY: Both teams got off to hot starts shooting the ball. With the score tied at 18, Seton Hall went on an 11-1 run to make it 29-19. But Rutgers closed the gap to 32-28 at halftime. The Pirates shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range in the first half, while the Scarlet Knights were 4-for-6.

Rutgers opened the second half on an 8-2 run to retake the lead, Seton Hall took it right back, and it was a seesaw battle from there. The Scarlet Knights led by as many as six, 55-49, but the Pirates rallied to tie the game at 57 with 4:38 left. Seton Hall's Jordan Theodore made two clutch free throws with 12.7 seconds remaining to tie the game at 65. On the ensuing possession, Rutgers' Gilvydas Biruta turned the ball over on a drive to the hoop with 3.1 seconds on the clock. Then Herb Pope missed a desperation 3-pointer from half-court at the buzzer.

In overtime, Rutgers quickly took a 70-65 lead, but Seton Hall bounced back to tie it at 70. The game came down to two shots. Rutgers freshman Jerome Seagears buried a trey from the left corner with 13.2 seconds remaining in OT, giving the Scarlet Knights a 75-72 lead. Then Theodore, the Seton Hall senior, saw his game-tying 3-pointer go in and out. That's your ballgame.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Dane Miller, who has been frustratingly passive for much of this season, took over this game in the second half. Miller finished with a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, with 16 of his points coming after intermission. Eli Carter also had 17 points for the Scarlet Knights.

Seton Hall's two seniors, Theodore and Pope, will be disappointed in their final home performances. Theodore had a team-high 17 points, but shot just 4-for-14 from the field. Pope had 14 points and 12 rebounds, but fouled out with 44 seconds remaining in OT.

NUMBER CRUNCH: In an even game, the big stat was Rutgers' performance from beyond the arc -- the Scarlet Knights connected on a remarkable 10 of 15 shots from 3-point range.

WHAT'S NEXT: Seton Hall wraps up its regular season next Saturday at DePaul. Rutgers has two games remaining, versus Villanova on Thursday and St. John's next Saturday, both at the RAC.

Here are three things to watch for when Seton Hall (19-9, 8-8 Big East) takes on Rutgers (12-16, 4-11 Big East) on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

Tip-off is at 5 p.m., and you can watch the game on ESPNU, or via ESPN3.

SENIOR NIGHT: This will be the last home game for Seton Hall's two leading scorers, point guard Jordan Theodore (16.2 ppg, 6.7 apg) and power forward Herb Pope (15.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg). They have the carried the Pirates all season long, and are on the verge of taking them to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006. They should get a wonderful reception from the crowd.

Also, senior walk-on Peter Dill -- who has played just seven minutes this season -- is expected to start, and that will have the fans going wild as well. More on Dill here.

MORE DRAMA? Any time these two intrastate rivals get together, it's intense. Rutgers will be looking to get revenge for its 59-54 loss to Seton Hall in Piscataway on Feb. 8, and try to spoil the Hall's prospects of making the Big Dance. If the Pirates lost their final two regular season games, to Rutgers and DePaul, they might land back on the bubble.

In the previous meeting two and a half weeks ago, there was an altercation between the two teams late in the second half, which resulted in three technical fouls. Don't be surprised if the teams mix it up again on Saturday.

DESPERATE TIMES: Rutgers has lost six games in a row, a very rough stretch which has included four games against Top 25 opponents. Coach Mike Rice admitted this week that he has had to change his approach with this team -- read more about that here, and here.

Keep an eye on Rutgers' three freshman guards -- Eli Carter, Jerome Seagears and Myles Mack -- who are three of the top four scorers on the team. To win, Rice will need a big game from at least one of them.

Rutgers hoops coach Mike Rice said Thursday that his team is staying positive, despite the fact the Scarlet Knights have lost six straight games.

"I still think they’re in as good a place as they can possibly be losing six in a row," Rice said on the weekly Big East coaches teleconference.

The schedule has not been kind of late. Four of those six games were against Top 25 opponents -- Louisville, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Marquette, with three of those four on the road. Rutgers also lost at Providence, and at home to Seton Hall, during that stretch.

"I think we’re improving," said Rice, whose team is now 12-16 overall, 4-11 in conference play. "When you face the level of elite teams that we are right now, it just doesn’t show in the lefthand column."

Rice, known for his fiery demeanor and being hard on his players, also admitted Thursday that he decided to adapt his coaching style several weeks ago. Rutgers is a very young this year, with several freshmen and sophomores playing critical roles. "Patience isn’t one of my strong suits," Rice said. "We became more patient, more positive.

"I see improvement, and as long as I see improvement, I’m gonna stay the course."

Next up for Rutgers is Seton Hall again, on Saturday at the Prudential Center. The Pirates are coming off a huge win over No. 8 Georgetown on Tuesday, which likely locked up an NCAA tournament bid.

Rutgers hasn't made the NCAA tournament since 1991.

Rice admitted "a little bit of envy," referring to seeing Seton Hall headed to March Madness, as well as nearby St. John's making it last year. But two years into this job, he remains confident that he will lead the Scarlet Knights to the Big Dance.

"Our day will come," Rice said. "We’re gonna make it, we’re gonna get there. It’s just a process … and you gotta take some lumps in that process."

ESPN.com colleague Dana O'Neil posted her Big East power rankings earlier today.

She has Seton Hall at No. 9, St. John's No. 12 and Rutgers No. 13 in the conference.

Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think below.

Stunning news today in NFL and college football circles, as Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is reportedly on the verge of becoming the next head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the surface, it seems like an odd choice -- Schiano has never even won a conference championship in 11 years at the helm in Piscataway. This past season, the Scarlet Knights had a chance to clinch a share of the Big East title with a win at sub-.500 UConn on Nov. 26, but instead were manhandled, 40-22.

But if you dig a little deeper, Schiano has accomplished a lot in his tenure. Before his arrival in 2000, the Scarlet Knights hadn’t had a winning season since 1992. His predecessor, Terry Shea, went 11-44 in four years, including 4-24 in the Big East.

Schiano has now taken Rutgers to bowl games in six of the past seven seasons, and the Scarlet Knights have won five in a row -- tying them with Mississippi State for the longest bowl winning streak in the country.

Perhaps even more importantly, in terms of the NFL, Schiano has produced a lot of pro players -- more than 45, according to the Rutgers media guide. That includes Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, the NFL’s second-leading rusher this season; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt, both first-round draft picks; and cornerback Devin McCourty, a former All-Pro who will start for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

In fact, Rutgers is just one of two schools in the country that has five or more players on the rosters of this year’s two Super Bowl teams, the Patriots and the New York Giants.

And, you had to admire the leadership Schiano exhibited in the past 15 months, after one of his players, Eric LeGrand, was paralyzed from the neck down in a vicious collision in a game against Army.

Nevertheless, Schiano would be leaving behind some unfinished business at Rutgers, still in search of its first Big East championship and BCS bowl bid. And it’s a very awkward time recruiting-wise, a week away from National Signing Day.

Athletic director Tim Pernetti would likely be conducting a national search, hoping to make a big splash and build on what Schiano started.

If he makes a poor choice, Rutgers could descend back into Big East and national irrelevance.

Only time will tell.

Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano will have two new players to work with this spring, as two recruits enrolled at the school this week and will be eligible for spring practice.

They are:

* R.J. Dill, a 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive tackle from Mechanicsburg, Pa. Dill was a three-year starter at the University of Maryland, graduated in December, and will have one final year of eligibility with the Scarlet Knights. He started 23 games at right tackle, and 10 at left tackle (in 2010), for the Terrapins.

* Kyle Federico, a 6-foot, 180-pound placekicker from Ponte Vedra, Fla. Federico was ranked the No. 10 kicker in the country in his high school class by ESPN.com.