PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano said he wouldn’t even entertain the thought.

The Scarlet Knights need to win two of their final four regular-season games to earn bowl eligibility for a second-straight season, but Schiano says the postseason right now is far, far from his mind.

“I'm not even worried about a bowl game,” Schiano said Monday. “That's probably a fan's concern. Right now every ounce of my being is focused on today, game planning Minnesota, and we'll take it day-by-day.”

It makes sense given the way Rutgers’ season has gone lately. Schiano’s team has lost four straight after winning its first four games.

The Scarlet Knights’ will try to snap that four-game skid when they host Minnesota on Saturday at SHI Stadium (noon, NBC).

A win would also move Rutgers closer to that bowl bid.

But Schiano also didn’t hide the fact that beating the Golden Gophers, who are on a four-game winning streak, won’t be easy.

“When you watch the way their offense, defense and special teams have been performing, it will be a great challenge,” Schiano said.

Can Rutgers win two more games?

That’s the big question, but here’s a look at the state of its remaining four opponents:

Nov. 9: vs. Minnesota, noon

Record: 6-3, 4-2 Big Ten

Wins: Rhode Island (48-0), Nevada (27-0), USC (24-17), UCLA (21-17), Maryland (48-23), Illinois (25-17)

Losses: North Carolina (19-17), Iowa (31-14), Michigan (27-24)

The Golden Gophers’ strength has been their defense, led by defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, who was Rutgers’ linebackers coach the previous two years. Minnesota’s allowing 290.6 yards per game, which ranks ninth in the nation. It also has a gaudy plus-12 turnover margin, which has been a big key to their season. This is going to be a tough task for Rutgers’ offense. The Scarlet Knights have never beaten Minnesota in three previous tries.

Nov. 16: at Maryland, 6 p.m.

Record: 4-4, 1-4 Big Ten

Wins: UConn (50-7), Virginia (27-13), Villanova (38-20), USC (29-28)

Losses: Michigan State (27-24), Indiana (42-28), Northwestern (37-10), Minnesota (48-23)

Maryland’s season has been all over the place. The Terrapins managed to beat Southern California, which has a lot of talent despite its struggles, but lost to a down Northwestern team. Maryland’s defense has struggled, allowing 381.0 yards per game, third-worst in the Big Ten after Purdue and Rutgers. But Maryland’s offense has been solid – quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is third in the conference with 2,314 passing yards. He also has a completion percentage of 68.4 The Terrapins have had Rutgers’ number the last few seasons, winning 42-24 in Piscataway last year, 37-0 in College Park in 2022 and 40-16 at SHI Stadium in 2021.

Nov. 23: vs. Illinois, TBA

Record: 6-3, 3-3 Big Ten

Wins: Eastern Illinois (45-0), Kansas (23-17), Central Michigan (30-9), Nebraska (31-24 OT), Purdue (50-49 OT), Michigan (21-7)

Losses: Penn State (21-7), Oregon (38-9), Minnesota (25-17)

Illinois already is bowl eligible. The Fighting Illini will be coming off a bye week when they face Rutgers. Bret Bielema’s team ranks in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten in offense (356.0 yards per game) and near the bottom in defense (365.4 yards allowed per game, fourth-worst in the conference). Illinois has been pretty inconsistent on both sides of the ball – its offensive line especially. Still, the Illini are always going to be big and physical up front. This might be a winnable game for Rutgers, depending on which version of the Illini shows up in Piscataway.

Nov. 30: at Michigan State

Record: 4-5, 2-4 Big Ten

Wins: Florida Atlantic (16-10), Maryland (27-24), Prairie View A&M (40-0), Iowa (32-20)

Losses: Boston College (23-19), Ohio State (38-7), Oregon (31-10), Michigan (24-17), Indiana (47-10)

The Spartans are in a similar spot as Rutgers, needing two more wins for bowl eligibility. Michigan State is off this week, then plays at Illinois and home against Purdue. Assuming the Spartans beat a bad Boilermakers team, they’d need to beat Rutgers for a sixth win – so there’s a good chance Michigan State will have a lot on the line when they meet in East Lansing. The Spartans’ offense has largely been a mess. And it could get worse after quarterback Aidan Chiles suffered an injury in the third quarter Saturday against Indiana. Like Rutgers, Michigan State has been pretty banged up overall.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football bowl chances with 4 games left