<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class="header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; grid-row-start: header; grid-column-start: header; grid-row-end: header; grid-column-end: header; display: grid; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><header class="article__header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 74.953125px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 937px;"><div class="dateline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="dateline__updated" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.4rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 2rem; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Dec. 22, 2021, 8:34 p.m. | </span><span class="dateline__published" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.4rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 2rem; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Published: Dec. 22, 2021, 8:24 p.m.</span></div></header></div><main id="main" class="main" aria-live="polite" style="box-sizing: border-box; grid-row-start: main; grid-column-start: main; grid-row-end: main; grid-column-end: main; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><article id="arc-R7T4OMDCRFEITATCFRHMW677LA" class="article h-entry" data-type="article" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both;"><div class="byline" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px 140.546875px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans Bold", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.2rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: 0.07em;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class="">By <a class="byline__authorLink" href="http://www.nj.com/staff/JamesKratch/posts.html" title="James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(21, 101, 192); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com </a>and <a class="byline__authorLink" href="http://www.nj.com/staff/ksargeant/posts.html" title="Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(21, 101, 192); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;">Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com</a></div></div></article></main><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="4KBOGRABYJFW3G3VO2SHXPFRIA" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px 140.546875px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 3rem; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.013em; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);">The third time appears to be the charm for <a href="https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(21, 101, 192); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">Rutgers</a>.</p><div id="inarticle-2" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class=""></div><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="YWKYCS4XHJGB3ESJGI4LQPE4XM" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px 140.546875px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 3rem; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.013em; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);">The Scarlet Knights are expected <a href="https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2021/12/will-rutgers-receive-miraculous-gator-bowl-bid-after-texas-am-pulls-out-with-covid.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(21, 101, 192); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">to receive and accept an unexpected Gator Bowl invitation</a> after a <a href="https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2021/12/nj.com/coronavirus" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(21, 101, 192); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer;" class="">COVID-19</a> outbreak at Texas A&M knocked the Aggies out of the New Year’s Eve game against Wake Forest, several people with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media.</p><div id="inarticle-3" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: rgb(34, 34, 34);" class=""></div><p class="article__paragraph article__paragraph--left" id="64AEGUUMZVATXBORA2L4PM42W4" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px 140.546875px; border: 0px; font-family: "Benton Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 3rem; vertical-align: baseline; letter-spacing: 0.013em; color: rgb(42, 42, 42);">Rutgers plans to accept a bid when offered and it has the highest Academic Progress Rate score among all available 5-7 teams, according to the individuals. The NCAA’s football oversight committee will need to sign off on Rutgers’ candidacy and player safety matters in a Thursday meeting, but that is expected to be a formality.</p></div></body></html>