Rutgers University-New Brunswick Athletics

Rutgers competes in NCAA Division I, which means big-time college sports with athletic scholarships and major conference competition. With 768 athletes across 20 varsity sports and $25.1 million in athletic scholarships, the Scarlet Knights take their sports seriously. About 2.1% of students compete at the varsity level (768 out of 36,357 students). Rutgers plays in the Big Ten Conference after joining in 2014, marking a major step up in athletic prestige. The school claims to be the birthplace of college football, hosting the first intercollegiate game in 1869. Football draws the biggest crowds, especially for games against Big Ten rivals like Penn State and Michigan. The rivalry with Princeton runs deep, dating back to those early football days when both schools helped create the sport.