BS Readers Think ND Should Stay On The Schedule

Just closing the loop on our poll, with more than 500 responses, 63% of BS readers feel that ND should stay on the schedule and would prefer it to stay that way.

We're of the opinion that Purdue will be on the chopping block as ND tries to figure out how to fit in football powerhouses from the ACC like Duke and North Carolina.

I know, I'm as shocked as you are that BS reader opinions don't move mountains as much as they should.

Next up, in the sidebar, let's just cut to the chase as Purdue steams towards conference play. Will the Boilers' win their division and wind up playing in Indy for the Big Ten title?

Purdue Football 2012: What Are You Confident In?

A couple of weeks ago, we asked what you were worried about heading into 2012 Purdue football? The majority said either coaching or the QB situation -- which would seem to be an offshoot of coaching, given the approach that almost nobody seems to like -- were their biggest worries.

In recent weeks, Purdue has begun to emerge as a dark horse candidate in the Leaders division, largely because of the ineligibility of PSU and OSU this year. Now, Wisconsin is still there, which is why Purdue is a dark horse, I guess. But knowing you only need to "get by" one big hurdle is a bit more palatable than two or three, I suppose.

I don't know if any of you are made to feel better by this development that others see Purdue as a potentially dangerous team. But let's counter-poll now -- if you have to pick one, which are you most confident in as we head into the 2012 season?

Vote in the poll to the right and feel free to comment here on your thoughts.

The options are as follows:

Defensive line

Linebackers

Defensive secondary

Special teams

O-line

QB situation

Running game

Receivers

Coaching

Other

All of the above

Boilermaker Football 2012: What Concerns You?

No, we haven't gone on vacation. It's just that Boilerdowd is doing a lot of surfing this summer and everyone else's hands were broken by overly aggressive armwrestlers. Or something.

Anyway, over the coming weeks, we'll be delving into more of a look at the upcoming Purdue football season. I thought it might be nice to get some poll thoughts -- and, of course, your comments here -- as to what concerns you.

This week we'll be polling on what major categories are your top concerns. Next we'll get your take on what you're most confident about. And after that... we'll be only a month away from another season of Dannyball.

Brace yourselves.

Sam Steele Dominates Shannon Spake...Oh Yeah

Turns out that a whopping 83% of poll respondents agree with our general, informal unscientific assessment that between Ms. Spake and Ms. Steele, the dimpled blonde from Arizona wins out. I don't really have much else to add but that I found this pic of Shannon kissing the bricks and, well, there's something wonderful about this photo:

Want something else adorable about Sam Steele? She got on stage and participated in the Scripps National Spelling Bee the other day:

I think we can agree, we're all winners here.

Happy Friday.

O-H-I-O Makes People Mad

Last week's poll question seemed to be one that the readership was ready for, as opinions on obnoxious fans in the Big Ten as well as both good and bad experiences came through at length. It was amusing that as soon as the poll was up, one reader said "What's the point of this? To see how much Ohio State will win by?"

It turns out that OSU was indeed the runaway winner, garnering 61% of the more than 800 votes. Wisconsin finished a firm second with 14%, followed by IU, interestingly, at 11%.

Michigan finished fourth in the voting (something they'd give anything to do nowadays -- zing!), followed by a smattering of votes for Iowa, MSU, PSU, Nebraska, Illinois and Northwestern. And getting not a single vote cast as the most obnoxious fans in the Big Ten? Why, the kind people of Minnesota.

Who Do You Not Want To Be Caught Sitting Next To?

Everybody has dealt with it. You go to a game, maybe even in the home arena/stadium of your favorite team. And there, stuck next to you, is an OF -- an Obnoxious Fan. Maybe he is drunk. Maybe she is classless. Regardless, you want to be anywhere but there for the next three hours. And it makes you even more angry because you should be having a good time.

Which brings us to this week's poll question: Which Big Ten team has the most generally obnoxious fans? That is, whose fans do you hate the most? Who would you least like to be near for three hours on game day?

I've wanted to ask about this for a while, but it is always hard to know the right time. During football or basketball season, opinions could be swayed by a recent bad experience or by who is having a dominating season. So maybe now is a good time, as we're looking for content and we're all getting excited that football is under three weeks away.

So who is it? Which Big Ten team's fans are, quite frankly, the worst? (And not in the "They're the worst because they can't fill their tiny stadium" kind of way.)

Also, remember, Notre Dame isn't in the Big Ten. And we already know they're horrible.

Road Trip Poll Results

Last poll gave you all the opportunity to cry poor in the hopes that another generous BS donor will take you all to a Purdue game, with the winner of the poll regarding away games being "I ain't got no scratch," at 45% of the vote....which is quite a bit given how many options there were in the poll.

Second was the Rice game at 23%, and I have to say, good work on that one, Boilers. Football in Texas is taken only slightly less seriously that the rules around wearing hats and boots, so the fact that it's looking more and more like Purdue is going to have a solid representation at a game this far from the campus is terrific.

The rest of the options all split up the vote, all getting 5 or 6 percent. What this means, of course, is that whatever games I get to on the road, I expect BS readers to be there in the tailgate area or the nearest pub, ready to have a brew together.

Road Trippin' -- UPDATED

Another fun thing to do during college football season is the ever-popular road trip. Back when we were young and the rivers were pure, Tim and I used to road trip out to B-Dowd's estate in scenic Fishers, Indiana to see at least one game every fall. It's not as easy anymore, of course, what with marriage, kids, and Tim's entrance into the witness relocation program.

However, college football season will be here before we know it and many of us will be making pilgrammages around this great country. Many of us, I would assume, will be traveling just to come see our Boilers is Ross-Ade. However, with how spread out we are, sometimes the Boilers will come to us.

As some of you know, I currently spend my time bouncing back and forth between my ranch in Houston and my penthouse in New York. (Hey, it's called creative license -- I'm the writer here...)

As such, I am hoping to get to a few games this fall, but that's the optimistic side of me. My idiot thinking goes like this: I can be in Houston for the Rice game pretty easily. I could also ride out to Snappy Valley for the Purdue-PSU game (I just need to Skype with JoePa to see if he can get me a place to stay). And I could try to get back to God's country for a game, as well. Who knows how much of this is realistic?

What I can share with you is that the Purdue Alums in Houston are putting forth quite an effort to give the Boilers some noticeable support at the Rice game.

If you need a place to stay, the Hyatt Regency on Louisiana Street has a block of rooms reserved at the rate of $89/night, which you can secure by calling 1-888-421-1442 and asking for the "Purdue Alumni" block. I can tell you from personal experience that this is a very nice hotel located right downtown... probably too nice for us dirty Boilermakers. According to the Purdue Alumni group of Houston on Facebook, the Breakfast Club celebration for gameday morning will be just 8 blocks from the hotel, so that's good to know. Also, you can walk three blocks to the Houston Light Rail, which will cost you just a buck-fitty to get to Rice Stadium. So you really have no excuse to miss this game.

In addition, if you're looking for a ticket to the Purdue @ Rice game and want to sit with other Boilers, call the Purdue athletic ticket office (1-800-497-7678) and ask for Group 117 for the Rice game (tickets should be $25 total). If they run out, you can probably get them through Rice as well since the stadium is huge and never sells out.

***UPDATE***

The sneaky readers of BS and H&R have gotten their paws on even further discounted tickets, just $12. Read here for details.

***END UPDATE***

More info on the weekend, including the official Purdue Alumni tailgate, other outlets for tickets, and the Colts-Texans game on Sunday, can be found by visiting the Boiler Blastoff page here.

All that said, I know getting to Houston may not be remotely possible for many of you. So what road games will you be going to? Poll to the right and comments here welcome as always.

BREAKING: BS Readers Dislike UND

In our unscientific polling, it appears that Notre Dame is the team Purdue fans (or at least the really smart ones who read BS) want to beat the most. 67% of you chose the guys who, uh, bring the thunder from the sky.

Second was IU at just 19%, followed by OSU at 10%. I did like some of the comments regarding "Other," where we had people pointing out they voted other because they wanted to beat non-conf, lower-level programs more than anything. Or, as a reader explained, beating Wisconsin might be the most fun, for lots of cathartic reasons. I agree, that would be terrific.

However, I'm afraid I need to go with the majority on this one. As much as I think losing to Indiana is downright inexcusable, there is honestly no program I want to beat more than Notre Dame. Big stage, national television, under the lights, at home...and the obnoxious fanbase.

Who Do You Want To Beat?

And no, the answer can not be "Lou Holtz's face."

As we approach the two-month mark in the long wait/countdown to college football 2011 (with no lockouts! Yay!), we continue asking meaningless poll questions and taking the temperature of the sleeping giant that is Purdue football fandom.

Obviously, sports cliche fans, you want to win every game...and you just take 'em one game at a time (That's good advice, too; I remember one time when Jim Colletto tried to play three games at once -- disaster). But if you had to rank the team you want to beat the absolute most on this year's schedule, who would it be?

We've posted a poll at the right with who I would imagine are the likeliest suspects, but we also included "Other" as an option. Poor University of Other. Anyway, if you choose them, let us know in the comments who you've got your scope trained on.

What Are Your Early Thoughts on 2011 Purdue Football?

Last Friday marked the three month point to Purdue football's 2011 path of destruction tour, coming to a city near you (as long as you live in the middle of the country). Whether the destruction part will be that of Purdue or of their cowering opponents remains to be seen.

Sure, there is some doubt among the old guard (such as B-Dowd's 48 year old brother) that Danny Hope knows what he's doing. However, we've also seen fans who staunchly support the embattled Purdue coach and are willing to write off last season to injuries, bad luck and poor moustache intimidation usage.

So here we are, looking ahead to the start of another football season, and while we'll provide our usual meandering preview to the season as we get closer to it, I thought it might make sense to "take the pulse" of the fanbase (assuming you all have a pulse). So below is the schedule for the upcoming season. Some of my early thoughts? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I like four of the first five at home, because if a good start is going to happen, this will certainly help. I don't like a month that goes @UM, @Wisc, vs OSU, vs Iowa. Zoinks. I think the Boilers have some pretty rough road games to handle, and if they win more than two of them, that will be an accomplishment that should be lauded. I'll reserve judgement on predicting a won-loss record right now, but I want to know what YOU think. So think it over, feel free to post your rationale in the comments, and vote in the poll to the right.

9/3 - vs. Middle Tenn St
9/10 - @ Rice
9/17 - vs. SE Miss St
10/1 - vs. Notre Dame
10/8 - vs. Minnesota
10/15 - @ Penn State
10/22 - vs. Illinois (Homecoming)
10/29 - @ Michigan
11/5 - @ Wisconsin
11/12 - vs. Ohio $tate
11/19 - vs. Iowa
11/26 - @ Indiana


Poll Results: Our Readers Are Drunk Again

Well, you guys have heart. We'll give you that much. It's nice to see optimism, especially after such a depressing season in 2008. We've got little reason to think things are going to improve -- especially if you listen to the media and other genius bloggers out there.

But there you guys are, tipping the polls in the direction of a 6-7 win season. 42% of you (the plurality) chose that one as your prediction. And while we think you're probably drunk, we like you drunk because it means it's easier for us to get randy with you.

Next up was "4-5 wins" with 39% of the vote and, frankly, 4-5 wins would be just fine for this year. It would show progress and would make the season exciting. Only 9% of you said "3 wins or less," and god bless those of you (3%) who voted for a double-digit win season. You will truly be the prognosticators of prognosticators if that occurs.

BS Reader Poll -- Game 12

This is the final post in the BS Reader Input and Silliness Poll Series. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this all summer long.

Wrapping up the 2008 regular season will be our longtime in-state rival, Indiana. IU took back the bucket last year for only the second time during Tiller’s time in West Lafayette. This year’s game is back in Ross-Ade and will not only be the bucket game, it might be critical for Purdue’s bowl positioning. Add to that the fact that it’ll be Senior Day, Curtis Painter’s last game in WestLaf, and Joe Tiller’s last game in front of the home crowd. Should be a nice day, regardless of record at that point.

But how will the game turn out? Vote it up.

Game 12
November 22, 2008
Indiana at Purdue
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 11

By game 11, Purdue will be in the midst of a stretch where four out of six games are on the road. For a team with a history of fading down the stretch, road games in the Big Ten are not exactly a cure for this problem. But this is the price to pay for a four-out-of-the-first-five-at-home start. To be honest, I’d much rather have the glut of home games down the stretch. But that’s me.

Anyway, on November 15, the Boilermakers travel to Kinnick Stadium to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. Yet another team that is always a mystery. They can look like powerhouses at times and weak sisters at other times. Last year, Purdue played a mediocre game at home (in which all three BS staffers attended) and yet still won 30-6. Purdue wasn’t dominant so much as Iowa was atrocious. Nobody can reasonably expect them to be that inept again, especially at their house. Or can they? What do you think? Vote it up.

Game 11
November 15, 2008
Purdue at Iowa
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 10

After the first two weekends of November, we’re going to be downright sick of the state of Michigan. November 8 marks the second straight week against a Michigan-based opponent and the third of the first ten games. Enough already. We love you all the same.

Michigan State has been our pick here at BS to be the “surprise” team of the 2008 season, so this could be a tough one, especially since it’s on the road. Time is still TBA, but let’s hope it’s a day game and not one of those raucous night games at MSU in the cold rain in front of 80,000 nutcase (drunk) Spartys. It’s probably safe to expect an earlier start, though, unless both MSU and Purdue have been so good ESPN/ABC can’t ignore us. What do you think? Vote it up.

Game 10
November 8, 2008
Purdue at Michigan State
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 9

The place we always felt that Joe Tiller pooped himself when he walked in was the Big House in Ann Arbor. So, as a present to Joe in his last season, the Wolverines will be coming to the Ross-Ade House.

Michigan is a complete unknown this year. There are some who think it’ll be a hard year with a lot of struggling, as they move to the RichRod era. Others seem to think they’ll still be Michigan, which means a “down” season is 7-8 wins. We’re still not sure. What do you think? Vote it up.

Game 9
November 1, 2008
Michigan at Purdue
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 8

A double-dip of voting this week for the BS Reader Rock The Vote Campaign. A week after our date with Northwestern in Evanston, the Boilers come home to face the team most of the Big Ten Bloggers seem to agree will remain in the toilet of the basement of the Big Ten for at least another year, Minnesota.

Coach Brewster continues recruiting quarterbacks and seems utterly unconcerned with stopping other teams’ quarterbacks. Or running backs. Or wide receivers. Just like last year, this one looks like it can’t be anything other than a ridiculous shootout. It’s at Ross-Ade, though, so maybe the Boilers pull away earlier than they did last year. Or maybe they get tripped up and decide this is the week to take a wonderful season and sharpen the end of it and jam it into our hearts. What do you think? Vote it up.

Game 8
October 25, 2008
Minnesota at Purdue
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 7

After running through the gauntlet of @ND, vs PSU and @OSU, the Boilers then will face the always unpredictable Northwestern squad. In some years, this is a nice, welcome break from the tough Big Ten schedule. But more and more often, it’s not a a break at all, as NW continues to put scares into teams every year and occasionally puts together a somewhat complete – and always surprising to the critics – season.

Lake the Posts continues their grassroots effort to convince everyone to worry about Northwestern football this year. Is worrying about them warranted? Or is this a walkover? Vote it up.

Game 7
October 18, 2008
Purdue at Northwestern
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 6

For game 6 of the Joe Tiller farewell season, Joe and the boys get to go to Columbus – one of Joe’s least-favorite places to go, judging by his record – to visit the 'vest and take on the perennially national championship game-bound Buckeyes. I don’t have any empirical data on this (yet) but I’m willing to bet this is the game Purdue fans have the least confidence about. I mean, other than being confident that the Boilers will lose.

Nevertheless, we’re curious. Do you think the Boilers have a shot in this game? Can they win it? Or is there no chance? You only get to vote one way or the other. So vote it up.

Game 6
October 11, 2008
Purdue at Ohio State
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BS Reader Poll -- Game 5

Last year, we posted a lighthearted season overview in July and made wise-ass remarks about each upcoming game, followed by a best guess on the outcome. Strangely, even though we made jokes about every team, PSU supporters came down on us the hardest, evidently for a perceived lack of respect.

The most ridiculous part of it all? We said PSU would beat Purdue. Hey, I don’t know, either.

So, Penn State ROWRs into Ross-Ade this year with an incumbent head coach who is 16 years older than our retiring head coach. Just saying. Vote it up.

Game 5
October 4, 2008
Penn State at Purdue
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