After a date with Oregon State in Week 1, Ohio State will move on to Big Ten play early on in the 2018 season. In Week 2, the Buckeyes will open its conference schedule at home against Rutgers on September 8th. Here is an early look at what the Scarlet Knights could look like in the second game of the season.

After winning two games in 2016, losing all nine-conference games, Rutgers could not look much worse heading into the 2017 season. In the second season under head coach and former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Ash, the Scarlet Knights showed much improvement last season.

With a difficult start to the season, facing No. 16 Washington at home, the Scarlet Knights did not get their first win until Week 3, easily defeating Morgan State 65-0 at home.

When Rutgers got to Big Ten play in 2017, the same familiar feeling from 2016 started again. Losing 27-17 to Nebraska, the Scarlet Knights faced Ohio State at home in the second conference game of the season. Recording only 209 yards of offense with 12 first downs, Rutgers lost to the Buckeyes 56-0.

However that was when the tide shifted a bit for Ash and Co. Rutgers won two straight conference games against Illinois and Purdue respectively, earning its first Big Ten win since October 2015. With another win over Maryland, the Scarlet Knights finished in fifth place in the Big Ten East, their best finish since the 2014 season.

On offense, Rutgers was not working with much during the 2017 season. Averaging 18 points per game, the Scarlet Knights recorded a conference-low 262.7 yards per game, scoring only 26 touchdowns all season.

The Scarlet Knights also had the worst passing game in the Big Ten, recording 115.2 passing yards per game with quarterbacks completing 49.1 percent of their passes. However, their leading passer, former Louisville quarterback Kyle Bolin, graduated and will not return after throwing three touchdowns compared to six interceptions during his only season in Piscataway, New Jersey.

On offense, the Scarlet Knights will also be losing leading rusher Gus Edwards, who rushed for 713 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per rush and scoring six touchdowns, as well as wide receiver Janarion Grant, who played in seven games because of an ankle injury, but was the second-leading receiver on the team.

On defense, Rutgers, who gave up an average of 28.3 points to opponents, will lose a significant presence on both the line and in the secondary. Defensive lineman Kemko Turay will not be on the roster in 2018 after leading Rutgers in tackles for loss, with seven, and sacks, with four. Recording 65 tackles, Turay also had a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. In the secondary, the Scarlet Knights will lose Kiy Hester, who led the team with three interceptions and 10 broken up passes.

On offense, Rutgers will see some familiar faces behind center in 2018. Both quarterbacks Giovanni Rescigno and Jonathan Lewis, who played at points during the 2017 season, are returning in 2018. Also, tight end Jerome Washington, who led the team with 28 catches for 282 yards and a touchdown, will return next season. In the running game, Raheem Blackshear will take the reins as the primary option in the backfield with the loss of both Edwards and Robert Smith.

On defense, both of the Scarlet Knights’ leading tacklers, linebackers Trevor Morris and Deonte Roberts, who combined for 222 tackles last season, will return in 2018. On the line, Jon Bateky, who had three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to go along with 33 tackles, will return in 2017.

Will Jawuan Harris play?

Throughout his career at Rutgers, Jawuan Harris has done a bit of everything. In his redshirt freshman season in 2016, he was a wide receiver; recording 39 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 40.1 yards per game. Last season, he played at safety, tying Heston for the team lead in interceptions, with three, and had six pass deflections and a forced fumble.

However, going spring practice, the Scarlet Knights do not know if Harris will play at all in 2018. He has turned some heads on the baseball diamond as well as the football field, with many speculating Harris as an early-round pick in June’s MLB Draft. In his third season on the baseball team, he has a .276 batting average and a .802 OPS with 12 career home runs and 67 stolen bases.

Now, after finishing an eight-game suspension for the Scarlet Knights for an unspecified violation of team rules, Harris does not seem to be taking any time off in baseball to prepare in spring. It is not clear whether Harris will be on the roster when Rutgers travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State in September or not.

Which quarterback will Ohio State see?

Bolin was the primary signal caller for Rutgers in last year’s shellacking by the Buckeyes. However, Urban Meyer and the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff saw glimpses of both Rescigno and Lewis under center in the 56-0 loss.

For Rescigno, it was in garbage time. In the last drive of the game, he completed both of his pass attempts for a total of 26 yards.

For Lewis, Ohio State got an extended look. Used as a change-of-pace quarterback for the Scarlet Knight offense, Lewis led the team with 12 rushes, recording only 14 total yards. In the passing game, he completed 30 percent of his passes for 21 yards, throwing two interceptions and a sack.

With two early enrollees and a Western Michigan transfer, no one truly knows who will be under center for Rutgers to start the season. The Buckeyes do know what two of the five options are like.

How important is Raheem Blackshear?

In his limited amount of playing time in 2017, Blackshear was an offensive playmaker.

He recorded 243 yards on 39 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry and scoring three rushing touchdowns. Along with being the third leading rusher, he was the third leading receiver in the offense, recording 133 yards and a team-high two touchdowns on seven catches. Even in the return game, Blackshear made an impact as the primary kickoff returner. Oh, by the way, all of this was as a true freshman.

Now, going into his second season, Blackshear could be the player that Ohio State’s defense plans most for before the first conference game of the season.

Rutgers is not there yet. Plain and simple. Will the Scarlet Knights get better in 2018? With two linebackers with 100-tackle abilities and a playmaking running back who can do a bit of everything on the offense, you could say yes.

However, with Ohio State and Rutgers facing off in only the second game of the season, the Scarlet Knights will probably not have their rhythm found yet. In a series where the Buckeyes have won all four meetings by an average of 48.75 points, this game should not be any different.

Way too early score prediction: Ohio State 52, Rutgers 14