• by David Goetzl , August 28, 2007

A year ago, Rutgers football shot out to an improbable 9-0 record. Then it captivated much of the New York area with a huge upset over Louisville. This season, expectations are high for another boffo season, and the MSG network is looking to jump on the bandwagon.

The New York-area cable network has acquired the rights to two early-season games, and will air other weekly programming about the team. "The Scarlet Knights were one of the best stories in college football last season, and we expect that momentum to continue this season," said Lydia Murphy-Stephans, executive vice president of programming and production, MSG Media.

The move is a coup for MSG, which faces increased competition from SportsNet NY and other N.Y.-area cable sports outlets, all hungry for programming. MSG provides potentially popular local sports before coverage of the professional New York Knicks and Rangers (MSG's flagship fare) cranks up in mid-fall.

MSG will air Rutgers' opening game against Buffalo next week in prime time and another live game Sept. 15.

Also on tap is the weekly, season-long "Rutgers Football in :60," an hour-long edited re-airing of the previous week's game, and "Rutgers Football Weekly," which will highlight player profiles and previews of coming games each week.