The Rutgers Scarlet Knights host the Howard Bison to kick off the new college football season on Thursday. Rutgers finished 7-6 in Big Ten play last season, capping off its 2023 campaign with a 31-24 win against the University of Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl. They host a Howard side that finished 6-6 in FCS play last year. Mohamed Toure, who led Rutgers in tackles and sacks last season, is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. The Scarlet Knights are 38.5-point favorites in the latest Rutgers vs. Howard odds. The over/under for total points scored is 50.5. Before making any Rutgers vs. Howard picks, or college football predictions, you NEED to hear what football expert Emory Hunt has to say.

Hunt is the founder and CEO of Football Gameplan, which has been supplying analysis of all levels of football since 2007, and a former running back for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. He knows the game from a player's perspective.

In addition, Hunt was 93-78-5 (+777) on his college football picks last year. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Hunt has analyzed Howard vs. Rutgers from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions.

The expert knows the Bison were tough on both sides of the ball last season. The dominant running back tandem of Eden James and Jarett Hunter returns for another season, while an experienced defense gears up to face the toughest opponents. Howard was very good at converting on third downs last season, and it could make Thursday's season-opener very interesting if it can drive the ball down the field all game long.

Hunt also knows that Rutgers will be hard to keep up with. The Scarlet Knights have a strong defense and running game of their own. Rutgers has an extra weapon with Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis now under center to air out the offense. For Rutgers, Thursday's game serves as the ultimate tune-up before matchups against the toughest Big Ten opponents in late September.

Now, Hunt has locked in a confident against-the-spread pick for Howard vs. Rutgers. We can tell you he's leaning Over on the total, but he knows a crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a MUST-BACK. You ABSOLUTELY need to see what it is before locking in any picks of your own.

Who wins Rutgers vs. Howard on Sunday? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? ... Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the Howard vs. Rutgers spread to jump on, all from the football expert who was 93-78-5 (+777) on his college football picks in 2023!