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PISCATAWAY — The cynics are saying this is it for Rutgers football, the last chance to win a title in a BCS conference.
The Big Ten, with schools that have had Heisman Trophy winners, won national championships and routinely sell out 100,000-seat stadiums, awaits Rutgers’ arrival next season.
But this blue-collar program in central New Jersey turns a deaf ear to the talk that if Rutgers doesn’t win the American Athletic Conference, it will never beat the likes of Ohio State and Nebraska.
“This program is not about five-star recruits or individuals,’’ offensive guard Andre Civil told The Post. “It’s about building something that we can all be proud of. We’ve all grown up hearing what Rutgers can’t do. We focus on what we can do.’’
If ever there was a Scarlet Knight who had a reason to have cynicism coursing through his veins, it’s Civil, a fifth-year senior from Brooklyn.
Civil’s mother, Gladys, died of stomach cancer in 2010, when he was a sophomore at Rutgers. She had been diagnosed four years earlier, just as Civil was beginning the recruiting process.
“She just sat me down, she sat the whole family down, of course my father already knew,’’ Civil told The Post. “She let me and my brother [Felix Jr.] know, not in great detail, what was going on.
“My mom and dad were always there for us. Mom was the strict one. I had a 10 p.m. curfew, and if I walked in the house at 10:01, I was going to hear about it. You don’t realize at that age how important it is to have parents that care about you.’’
Civil’s parents aren’t the only ones that care about the 6-foot-3, 285-pound guard. Head coach Kyle Flood, then the lead recruiter in the metropolitan area for Greg Schiano, kept a steady eye on Civil.
“I’ve seen grown men lose a parent and not handle it as well as Andre,’’ Flood said. “He never lost his focus. He came to practice every day, lifted every day, did his schoolwork every day.
“He never said it to me, but I could tell he didn’t want to let his mother down. And he hasn’t.’’
Going into the season opener Thursday night (10:30 p.m.; ESPNU) at Fresno State, Civil was holding off a push from redshirt freshman Chris Muller for the starting right guard spot. Civil has started 21 of 25 games in his career and he never has run onto the field without thinking of Gladys.
“I definitely think of her, say a prayer for her, just give her a big thank you,’’ Civil said. “Without her I wouldn’t be here playing this game that I love. I know my mother wanted me to do this.
“She was a strong, strong lady — very, very strong — mentally, physically, emotionally. She was courageous and I’d say stubborn and tough for good reasons. I think that’s what gives me my competitive nature now.’’
Rutgers, which blew a chance to win the Big East title last year by losing 20-17 at home to Louisville in the regular-season finale, went 8-5, dropping its final three, including a gruesome 13-10 loss to Virginia Tech in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
But Rutgers has brought in three straight top-50 recruiting classes and this should be the most talented team in school history. If quarterback Gary Nova can rebound from a second-half collapse and the offensive line solidifies, Rutgers could challenge Louisville and Cincinnati for the AAC title.
For Civil, winning the AAC, which would guarantee the school’s first BCS bowl berth, would fulfill a promise he made to his mother in high school.
“My senior year I realized things weren’t going too well,’’ he said. “The cancer situation escalated. I knew that I had a chance to play for her, make sure when she leaves she has something to be proud of.’’