Below The Beltway

Despite a slightly disappointing season, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are headed to their third consecutive bowl appearance:
The Rutgers University football team will face Ball State in the International Bowl next month.
The Mid-American Conference team accepted an invitation from the game on Saturday, celebrating its first postseason bowl appearance in 11 years.
The Cardinals will face Rutgers [...]

It was a disappointing end to a season that didn’t quite live up to last year:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Art Carmody filled the one hole in his resume just in time to salvage Louisville’s disappointing season.
The record-setting kicker drilled a 33-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to lift the Cardinals to a 41-38 victory [...]

This hasn’t exactly been like the Cinderella season the Scarlet Knights had last year, but it’s still been pretty good and, today, Rutgers beat Pittsburgh 20-16:
Devin McCourty intercepted a Pat Bostick pass in the end zone to clinch a 20-16 victory against Pittsburgh, fighting off a late drive that got within six yards of a [...]

After two consecutive losses to Big East rivals, Rutgers headed up to West Point and rolled over Army:
WEST POI NT, N.Y. (AP) -Rutgers’ game plan was simple. Give the ball to Ray Rice and watch him work his magic.
Rice ran for a school-record 243 yards and scored twice, and the Scarlet Knights played keepaway [...]

Unlike last year, things are not going the Scarlet Knights’ way this year, and it’s showing:
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Rutgers’ entire season was pretty much symbolized by last night’s performance against Connecticut.
There’s nothing special about it at all.
Start with a blocked punt. Throw in a 97-yard kickoff returned allowed. Then cap it off with a [...]

Whatever happens to the Rutgers women’s basketball team this year, it won’t be a Cinderella story. Last year, the Scarlet Knights were the team that nobody thought would go anywhere that went on to play Tennessee for the national championship.
This year, they’re starting out as the third-ranked team in the country:
Connecticut heads seven Big East [...]

At least at the top, this week’s college football polls aren’t much of a surprise. Ohio State and Boston College both won, and they both stayed at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls.
But while there wasn’t much change at the top, there was plenty of change [...]

After a Cinderella season that saw them make to the NCAA Championship Game only to see that overshadowed by an off-the-cuff remark by a shock-jock, the Rutgers women’s basketball team is back on the Court and ready to put the whole incident behind them:
NEW YORK (AP) — With the first day of practice, coach C. [...]

The Scarlet Knights were underdogs going into today’s game against the Mountaineers and, as it turns out, there was a good reason for it:
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -No. 6 West Virginia kept its BCS hopes alive with yet another win over Rutgers.
Steve Slaton ran for three touchdowns and quarterback Pat White rushed for 156 yards and [...]

Ohio State remained at No. 1 in both the Associated Press poll, with Boston College at No. 2:
NEW YORK (AP) — Be careful, Boston College.
The Eagles were the new No. 2 in the Top 25 released Sunday, a ranking that’s been more of a burden than a reward recently. The second-ranked team in The Associated [...]