Originally established as the Queen's College in the year 1766, the State University of New Jersey is one of the oldest colleges in the U.S. Also known as Rutgers University, the institute is renowned as the "Birthplace of College Football”. The university hosted the 1st ever-intercollegiate football game in the history of the U.S. on the 6th of November 1869.

The athletic teams of the State University of New Jersey are known as the Scarlet Knights, which was named after the Rutgers University mascot. The Scarlet Knights shared the national championship with Princeton University in the first year of the intercollegiate competition. A member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Rutgers Football team competes in the Big East Conference Division I-A. Gregory Edward Schiano is the current head coach and defensive coordinator of the Rutgers University football team. He had a playing career as a captain and as the linebacker of the football team at Bucknell University. He is the winner of the 2006 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award from the Football Writers Association of America.

Located on the University's Busch Campus, Rutgers Stadium is the home of the Scarlet Knights football team. The stadium was opened on the 3rd of September 1994 and has a seating capacity for more than 41,000 spectators.