This game scares the hell out of NU fans. It will be a highly charged season opening atmosphere, and the Boilers will have their hair on fire with the carryover momentum of last year. So many positives for the Boilers. The only thing going for the Cats is that they are historically one of the best road dog teams ATS in the Country.
No prediction here. But know this. Cat fans would view it as a very positive sign for the rest of the season if NU snuck out of West Lafayette with the W.
GOUNUII
I think Purdue will need to reach the mid-high 30's to beat NU. So many new pieces on defense and it's a tough challenge out the gate. Mistakes will be made.
So I am curious in how confident NU fans are in their defense? If they come out ready it will be a really tough match for Purdue (with health/depth issues everywhere).
I would say 34-31 Purdue. It's a very good gauge for both teams. This game to me is a coinflip and the atmosphere should be rockin.
I would also say Purdue will win if they can keep NU below 25, but that would be surprising. If Purdue struggles catching the ball, I just don't see them having much of a chance. Not sure if they can lean on their defense like they did last year while they figured things out on offense.
I am excited but nervous for this game. I have no idea what to expect. I think the team is ahead of what it was this time last year, and they have Louisville a run for their money. But, I think Northwestern is a better team than last year's Louisville team. I also don't think Purdue is sneaking up on anybody this year. Unfortunately, it is still a team that wasn't left much by The Haze and the talent CJB has brought in is still young and developing. After the '19 class arrives, expectations will climb dramatically. This year I would be ecstatic with 8 or 9 wins. I think 10 is achievable, but that would essentially be the same as winning 7 last year... a pretty big surprise. I view 5 wins as a dissapointment, but with the turnover/depth issues and the schedule, I would understand. Purdue has to start at least 2-2. The sooner they get the Ws, the better.
I think the Big will be good this year. I think Jimmy will have a 9-10 win season with a loss to OSU and that seat will warm up.
I think OSU is going to win again, despite having a coach that emphasizes wins and football over morals. I think Wisconsin will play them for the Big championship.
Penn State will have a chance at dethroning them. Will be interesting to watch.
In the west, the only real competition is Northwestern. If Northwestern dismantles Purdue and looks good (plus they stay healthy), they could bump off Wisconsin. I don't think Purdue has the talent to do it yet and they have a brutal schedule with all that youth. If Purdue beats Northwestern (which they have a chance), I think wisconisn wins the division by two games.
I can't wait for football season, but it would be nice to have a tuneup game instead of walking into one of the toughest games of the season. St least it's at home. Should be a fun one. I don't really expect a blowout one way or the other.