PISCATAWAY – Syracuse has the “NY” on its helmets.

Syracuse has the taxicab ads, the ones that proclaim it “New York’s College Team,” and Syracuse has an athletic director who’s unfurled an 11-story banner sporting an orange apple in Times Square.

Rutgers has a coach with a GPS.           

“It’s not even close, other than Army – which is a service academy – it’s not even close which school is closest, which Division I institution is the closest to all of New York City, Staten Island, Long Island, Westchester County,” that coach, Greg Schiano, said. “There’s no debating it. It’s not even close.”

Schiano spoke earlier this week, as he was readying his 7-2 Scarlet Knights (2-2 Big East) for Saturday’s kickoff up at woefully-undermanned Syracuse (3-7, 0-4). There was plenty football to talk, and plenty to be played up in the Carrier Dome Saturday, but Rutgers’ ninth-year coach couldn’t avoid this one topic. Because there’s also another game being played out far away from those snaps: the contest for New York.

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