Do Not Tell Me "It Can't Be Done"

Whenever we lament the state of Purdue football, someone almost always tries to educate us on our lot in life as Purdue fans. They point out that the facilities are limited, the stadium is among the smallest in the Big Ten, it's a tough place to recruit, there isn't a history of winning, etc., and so forth, lather, rinse repeat. In the end, it can be summed up with "We're just Purdue."

Well, as we've said before here, we reject that out of hand. For one thing, Purdue has competed, and in different eras. The 1960s Purdue teams were a force, culminating in a Rose Bowl win over USC. Then, of course, there was the Tiller resurgence in the late 1990s into the early oughts, where Drew Brees and others carried the Boilermakers to the Rose Bowl once again. And less highly-thought-of, of course, was the short era right after that, when Purdue was now considered a major player and high-potential guys would gladly attend. The door was open and the mantra of being the cradle of quarterbacks was reignited -- guys like Kyle Orton stepped in and the pieces seemed to be falling into place. We all know what happened next and it's not worth re-hashing once again... but the point here is that, while the windows can be tighter and harder to open, it can be done.

And that's the issue for me. I'm tired of being told it can't be done or hearing about the limitations our school faces. Limitations only get legs when people begin to rely on them as excuses for a lack of success. This applies anywhere in life, not just in college athletics. There are stories about people overcoming incredible odds all the time and the consistent theme is always rooted in two factors: hard work and perseverance. If you work harder than others and you never stop trying, good things will eventually happen. It's not a complicated formula.

Morgan Burke and the athletic department at Purdue are happy with staying profitable -- it has never been worth it to them to wade into the deep end of the pool and shoot the moon. That would take more money, more risk, etc., and why do that when you're comfortable in the black?

And for anyone who points to the successes they've recently (last 15 years) enjoyed, let's recap once again.

Burke got lucky with Joe Tiller. Tiller wasn't a young, up-and-comer and as Bdowd reminded you all, Burke wanted Bob Davie. Tiller had enough energy left to go hard for a while and he had the cowboy swagger that is absolutely necessary to succeed at a place like Purdue on the metaphorically uneven field that is football.

Burke got very lucky with Matt Painter. Painter, for those who have forgotten, was hired as the associate head coach and successor to Gene Keady in 2004 at the age of 34. Matt had one season as a head coach at any level before coming to Purdue. Granted, it was a 25-5 season at Southern Illinois, a top 15 ranking and an NCAA Tourney appearance season, but it was one season from a very young coach all the same. Most of us look at Painter as the right guy for Purdue basketball now, but it's easy to see how this could have gone the way of Todd Lickliter, for example.

Burke got it wrong with Danny Hope. I think it's fair to say that now, as we've seen four years of middling to excruciating football out of the Hope regime. We've been complaining about the same missteps and inconsistency for four years now. It's fair to give a guy the chance to right the ship, but he's done nothing of the sort and only punched more holes in the hull. But the point of this post isn't to rehash the Danny Hope era.

Back on the theme of not wanting to hear it anymore, let's look at five programs who frankly have the same excuses that Purdue does (or similar ones) and yet find a way to produce success. Nobody here is suggesting that Purdue should be competing for the national title every year -- but how about a ten win season every 10-15 years? How about strings of 7-to-9 win seasons, which suggest you're knocking on the door and with a break here or there might bust through to a BCS bowl game?

The following programs are examples of what Purdue could be doing.

Rutgers

Boilerdowd likes to say that I love Rutgers because I live near the school and occasionally attend games. What can I say? I'm a sucker for awesome campus food and lukewarm fan support of a college football team?

But Rutgers is an afterthought in the minds of most NJ sports fans. Their stadium -- which was renovated in 2011 and is a great place to watch a game -- only holds 52,000 (up from 41,000). And they have almost zero football "tradition," in terms of success on the field. Rutgers went 0-11 in 1997. They went 1-11 in 2002. But then Greg Schiano began building something and just three years later, they were in their first bowl game in 27 years. A year later they won 11 games and rose as high as #7 in the nation. Starting with that 2006 season, Rutgers has won at least eight games in six of seven seasons (2010 was the lone hiccup, at 4-8), at least nine games in four of them and if they win one more this year (they're 9-1), they'll have won double digits twice in that span and are likely to get to a BCS bowl game this year. Sure, sure, it's the faltering Big East, I get it -- but I don't care how you get there... you still need to win the games on your schedule.

Boise State

Yes, we had the Broncos forced upon us for years as the little engine that could and the small-time program that could play with the big boys. For all the fun that could sometimes provide, Boise's success probably did more harm than good with regard to things like the BCS. Supporters of the idiotic end to CFB's season pointed to Boise State as evidence that everyone did indeed get a fair shake. It's nonsense, of course, as Boise has most certainly not gotten a fair shake or a legit chance to dethrone the big guys. When they have gotten such an opportunity, they've cashed in, winning two BCS bowl games (the Fiesta Bowl in '06 and '09).

There is no way Boise has more in the way of opportunity than Purdue. It's Idaho, plus the recruiting ground they are near is also shared with Pac 12 programs like Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, USC, UCLA, Stanford, etc. Bronco Stadium only holds 37,000. Oh, and hey, it's freaking Idaho.

Yet despite all of this, the Broncs have held onto Chris Petersen and are about to have their seventh straight double-digit win season, 10th in their last 11 season and 12th in their last 14 years. I don't care where you play -- that is reeeedonkulous. They have 15 losses in the last eleven years. The point of all this? Success can happen.

Cincinnati

You want something a little closer to home and the midwest? How about Cincinnati? They have below-average facilities according to everything we read, their stadium (Nippert) holds 34,000 and bills itself as the "Wrigley Field of college football" (which maybe means they have drunken fans who like a poor product, I guess?), and they of course have to recruit in the same state as O$U. Yet they just keep winning.

Entering 2012, the Bearcats have won double-digit games four of the previous five seasons. They're 7-3 in 2012 with two games remaining plus their bowl, so ten wins is actually still possible. They've also done all this despite having three different coaches since 2006, as they're becoming a popular team to poach from. With their facilities and conference alignment, it's unlikely that Cinci can make themselves any more appealing for a coach to remain at for more of a career. Yet again, they win games. Crazy!

Northwestern

Let's hit even closer to our hearts. The Wildcats are no football powerhouse, to be sure. There are some who feel they've never truly fit in the Big Ten, what with their snooty, private school image, low enrollment (around 8,000) and smallest-in-the-Big-Ten football stadium (47,000). And yet, Coach "Fitz" has the Wildcats knocking on the door of a -- brace yourself -- ten win season. They are 8-3 this year with Illinois and a bowl game remaining. Sure, they turn back into the Mildcats come bowl season (haven't won a bowl in over 60 years), but they fact remains, they're seemingly always bowl eligible anymore (six straight years and nine of the last ten) and Fitzgerald has won at least eight games three times in his seven seasons. Not incredible, I realize, but not shabby, either.

Fitzgerald is a good comparison in another way, too, in that he has only had one bad season in Evanston, which was his first one, when he went 4-8. Every single other season he's had has been a bowl eligible season. Legendary success? No. But putting them in a position where a few breaks gets them into a conference title game or a top tier bowl? It certainly improves the odds, let's leave it at that.

Stanford

My final example is the Cardinal, a proud school with high academic standards that has managed to become a power player in the Pac 12. Standford has had a lot of mediocrity in their history -- more than Purdue, some might conclude. And yet, with the right coach (Jim Harbaugh), they quickly built a program that not only wins, it wins huge.

Stanford is about to have its third straight double-digit win season, assuming they can either beat UCLA or their bowl opponent. They're also going to play their fifth top-15 team this season, and they've already beaten #1 (Oregon, last weekend), #2 (USC, September 15) and #13 (Oregon State, two weeks ago), while very nearly beating current #1 Notre Dame in South Bend on October 13. That, my friends, is a program on the rise.

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In closing, I'd like to say once again that I do not want to hear it cannot be done. It can be done, my fellow Boilermakers. It can and it should be done. I realize these aren't all perfect apples-to-apples comparisons -- that's why I provided five of them. These are programs that for whatever reason have the odds stacked against them in today's college football landscape, yet find creative ways to be successful -- some to extreme levels that even dreamy fans probably didn't dream of.

At Purdue, we want swagger back. We want excitement back. We want players and coaches who want to be here and who aren't interested in excuses. We want to see effort, preparation and creativity. You provide those ingredients and the fans will show -- as they have before -- that they will come into Ross-Ade and make even that marginal stadium a true home field advantage.

Make it happen, Purdue. We're all ready.

Pivotal Season for Hope

We're almost exactly 11 days from the first kickoff of our Boilers' first game.  And while there are plenty of intriguing storylines coming out of West La Fiesta, ticket sales are still sagging and the general vibe from fellow Purdue fans is somewhere between 'Meh' and 'We'll see'.  Sure, Purdue went to its first bowl game in four years last December...but beating a MAC team in December doesn't light people ablaze these days.

In previous seasons, Coach Hope blew out so much sunshine during camp, the media had a crispy, painful reddish glow.  But this year it's been different- he's answered questions about personnel more directly, and hasn't inflated any specific player, at least in a noteworthy way, that didn't seem to deserve it.  But that's not all that's changed around the program...and that's what I'd like to look at today.

At the end of last season, we were less-than-rosy about our outlook about the team.  But as months went by, Hope got a new contract, the recruiting class was signed, and winter workouts began, I began to get optimistic.  J didn't sing the same tune.  And after watching some games on DVR and BTN, my optimism watered down a bit.  But I've gotta give Coach Hope credit, he's trying to change things.

We all saw how lousy the defense played last season; and on this very site, we requested to see changes made on the coaching staff on that side of the ball.  The D was shell-shocked by UND, Crushed by Wisconsin, beaten up by UM...and even in the games Purdue won, opponents were able to move the ball with relative ease, in a number of ways and at inopportune times.  A change was needed...and multiple changes happened in the offseason. Hope got a new DC and three other new coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

Next, we've complained for seasons about stupid penalties and overall stupid play.  Hope and the staff correctly diagnosed this problem as a point of emphasis this offseason.  He's brought in officials for scrimmages and even a few practices to try to make the team understand when they're making mistakes...and that he wants to see it changed.  We won't know if this tactic was enough for a few months.

Slow starts to the second half plagued Purdue all of last season.  The third quarter did Purdue in on more than one occasion as the offense would stall and the defense looked listless.  Hope thinks the halftime schedule that the team has been using is the reason.  He thinks the team hasn't had enough time to get loose and get mentally prepared.  So he said the team will come out of the locker room earlier in '12 and will have strength and conditioning staff on the field to help guys stretch and get physically ready.

Overall slow starts to the season have been a problem for Hope throughout his career...even before his time at Purdue.  EKU fans told me that his teams would lose an early game that they shouldn't annually...and at Purdue it's been no different.  Hope and members of the team seem very conscious of this problem and have talked about it with the media- how they can't afford to drop a pre-con game versus a lesser opponent.  Talk though, is only worth so much.

Finally, we begged and pleaded for Hope to make a decision about the quarterback position...and others.  We believe that Hope's inability to make the difficult personnel calls have been part of his downfall.  Sadly, this concern hasn't been addressed, and has become more of an issue.  Last season, Purdue had two QBs- and it didn't seem like either had the proverbial command of the offense that we wanted to see.  So, in 2012, Hope says he'll play three.  That's not exactly the solution we were hoping for.  He also says we might see two kickers split the duties of PATs, field goals and kickoffs.

Maybe this tactic is useful when two young positional players are battling for a spot.  MSU effectively decided between Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol back when they were Freshman by allowing them both to play.  It worked out well for both as Nichol became a WR and Cousins became an All-Conference QB.  Heck, Purdue did the same thing when Orton and Kirsch were both iffy in the early oughts.

But, to have snaps being split by two Seniors and a Junior seems to make little sense. We've all heard Nord and Hope alike call Marve an NFL prospect...but never have heard that about TerBush.  YET, as camp adjourned, TerBush was still called the starter...those two things don't really add up.

So now the question becomes what will be the decision or group of decisions that are viewed as the most-important at the end of this season. We've continually said how much we like Coach Hope as a man- his enthusiasm, positivity and energy toward the program are tough not to like.  But as a coach, he's a tougher guy to make a definitive statement about.  On one hand, you've got the fact that his teams have generally played well versus UM and aOSU...and they've rallied late in the season to beat teams who no one thought they'd beat.  On the other hand, the painful early season losses, repetitive penalties and poor game management has been tough to swallow.  On top of that, his teams have yet to beat UND, get pistol-whipped by Wisconsin (time and again), haven't beaten PSU or Iowa yet and has struggled versus lousy IU teams, even when winning.

Regardless of what you think of Hope, we believe he understands the importance of this season, not only to him, but to the greater program he's worked to create.  With very few exceptions, the players on the field are his guys...and it doesn't get much better for an offense than having a Senior QB (or two) and a Senior RB in the same backfield.  Atop of that, he has a couple guys on the defensive side of the ball that will probably win a few awards at the end of the season.  So it seems like this season should be his most-successful in West Lafayette, so far...If it's not, it'll probably be his last.

Texas A&M Will Fit Right In -- They're Already Cheering For Other SEC Teams

Regular readers know how much we kind of loathe the SEC's brain-dead fans who rub it in your face when LSU wins a national title... or when Alabama does...or when Auburn does. Even when they're, like, a Georgia or Tennessee fan or something. As I noted to the site Saturday Down South via Twitter the other night, it's easy to have "southern pride," as they call it, when you have a dozen favorite teams. As I've often noted, this is no different than me rooting for the entire American League East. It makes no sense and makes you look like the opposite of an intense fans -- it makes you look like a stooge in a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial.

When Texas A&M moved to the conference, I actually did think that they were a good addition in terms of intense/insane fandom. If you're not familiar with Aggie fans, people in Texas refer to them as "insane." We all like to believe we're loyal to our schools, but A&M alums are truly nuts about their fanaticism. And if you're putting college football destinations on your bucket list, I highly recommend you put College Station near the top.

All that said.... the Aggies joined the SEC this week and put out the below ridiculous "welcome" video, wherein A&M student do the cheers of the other SEC teams. What....the....F?

After the jump, see a lame attempt at... I don't know....conference spirit?

Don't Get Too Excited About This CFB "Playoff" Just Yet

Sort of

The topic many college football writers and bloggers will be talking about this week is the now-approved, so-called four team college football playoff to replace the 1-vs-2 BCS situation currently in place.

Let me start by saying the BCS system, while much-maligned, basically did what it was outlined to do back when it was brought to college football in the late 1990s. The goal was to make sure that 1 played 2 in a big-time bowl game. That was it. It wasn't intended to solve all problems with the college football championship boondoggle. Sometimes it didn't quite please everyone, and there were several years where it could have been a complete mess had a couple of teams not obligingly rolled over late in the season. But for the most part, it pitted 1 versus 2, which is neat on that given night.... but which doesn't really feel like any other playoff in any sport.

You might insert the obivous joke here -- "Why is a Purdue site owner writing about college football playoffs? Pssshaw! Purdue won't be in there!" But maybe that makes me that much more qualified, since I'm unbiased and, usually, unaffected.

ESPN is happy in their coverage of this new "playoff" because they're supposed to be. Remember, ESPN isn't independent any more than the GM of the NY Yankees is independent. ESPN has a vested interest in people being excited by this playoff, so they've got writers talking about it being "celebrated" and giving "kudos." I'd say not so fast, because this isn't really what anyone has been pining for. Is it better? Sure, I suppose it's a step forward, but it's really only a playoff in the most basic sense and it's not even going to be based on obvious, on-the-field stuff. The four participants are going to be chosen....by a committee.

The thinking here isn't hard to see -- let's call it a committee and everyone will accept it since the NCAA basketball tournament is so popular. But that's got 68 teams, and every year people criticize the committee for something. Now their margin for error is far slimmer. Make a mistake here, and people are just as pissed off as when an undefeated Boise plays an undefeated TCU so that at least one of them will have to go away. Or when an undefeated Auburn team in 2004 doesn't get a shot at the title.

I also don't think people are thinking about the in-the-moment differences. As the season winds down right now, we know who is in contention for the top 2 spots and who isn't. Then there are usually a few long shots who could sneak in if the chips fall right. With the new system, even if a team is unbeaten and is #4 in whatever ranking system we're using at that point, they won't know for sure that they're in.... they'll have to then sit around like fringe teams do on selection Sunday in March. While that's fine for fringe teams that barely deserve consideration, it's not fine for an undefeated college football team in November.

And what rankings will we be referring to? I'm all for not having rankings until mid-October. Let the teams play and do the first voting/calculating on October 15. No more preseason nonsense that gives some teams a downhill grade to start with and others an insurmountable uphill climb. Play 'em out, and then when you have a real idea of who's who, then rank them.

I'm also fine with using some iteration of the BCS rankings...combine computer polls, human polls, etc., an algorithm to include a factor for just dag-nab, awersome the SEC is, ya'll, and then spit 'em out. But to have everyone play to the finish line and then have a committee decide? A committee that will most certainly have sketchy ties to those who run the BCS bowls? It all but guarantees corruption and more lying to college football fans. Just like the previous asinine lies about how a playoff would "ruin" the "tradition" of the Mineke Car Care Bowl or the majesty of the Pinstripe Bowl when two 6-6 teams duke it out. Or that a playoff brings unnecessary expense to fans or interferes with all those exams that these very serious students are taking....between Christmas and New Year's Day, one presumes.

Anyway, the point is, we've been fed blatant lie after blatant lie and I just want to put it out there that I only think it's going to get worse. When an 11-1 LSU team is 5th in the nation and Utah is 12-0 and 4th and the committee decides that LSU should go, we're going to be right back where we were.

And no, I'm not one of those people who says "Well, just like the tournament, wherever you cut it off, the next team will whine." Yes, I know that, but I don't care about that issue. If you don't make it, tough. If the rules/qualifications are clear from the beginning, then you can't bitch when you fall just short. However, the rules on how to qualify for this new, wonderful, unicorn-filled, utopian playoff system are very much not clear. It's the same crap -- everyone play hard and maybe you'll get rewarded.

Only now, instead of knowing that you absolutely must finish #1 or #2, you don't know what you have to do. Win a conference title but finish #5? Go undefeated but be in a certain conference? Pay off the committee? Who knows?

The ESPN article lists the following as things the committee will consider:

The committee will consider win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and whether a team is a conference champion.

Wow. So W-L record is easy. Strength of schedule is hard. Are we talking a computerized, defined, hard-to-argue strength of schedule? Or those Doug Gottleib-type graphics where someone like him (think Mark May) decides what's a good win and a bad loss?

Head-to-head results? Uh, what? Like if the #5 team has beaten the #4 team, the #5 team gets selected? That's weird and if that's indeed what that means, it doesn't sound like it's too likely to happen often. Or do they mean the committee will look at opponents that teams being considered have in common? Who knows?

And, of course, there is the perceived importance of winning your conference title. I suspect this is here just to keep conference commissioners happy as well as those who think it's stupid for Alabama to be in the position to win a national title when they didn't even win their division within the SEC, much less the conference. (Yes, I know they were great -- but they lost on the field to a team that shouldn't have had to play them again.)

So there you have it! It's all so simple! A committee will make a decision.... and so all those sycophants currently chirping -- "Finally, it will be decided on the field!" -- are actually wrong. It'll be decided on the field after who gets to go onto the field are hand-picked.

Yeah, sounds like heaven.

Boiler Football 2012 Poll: Sound Off, Yo.

Online Surveys & Market Research

Sanctions? What Sanctions?

[Inside ESPN.com's offices this morning]

"We need to put together an image for the site about the kickoff of college football season."

"Oh, I know! How about a bunch of different teams all grafted together into one image?"

"Brilliant! Everybody take 5!"

"No, but which teams?"

"Oh....I don't care. Hmmm... doesn't matter. Any teams. Which ones do you want?"

"I'll just pick a bunch at random, but what about the one front and center?  That should be a marquee team, right? One that represents the best about college football. A paragon of virtue. One that makes us all proud to be college football fans and never makes anyone think about the dirty underbelly of NCAA athletics... right?"

"Sounds good to me. So who are you going to use?"

"Well, USC, of course. Will Ferrell likes them."

"Oh, and you know what would be cool just to see if people are paying attention? Let's have the guy kicking off wear #49, which is worn by WR Robbie Boyer."

"Brilliant!"

BS Capsule Previews: The Rest of 'Em

Hey, remember when I said we were gonna preview each Big Ten team? Well, we're no where near as thorough as other sites and a shiny object caught our attention after we got through with IU, Michigan and Illinois. Plus, you commenters didn't have much to say on those, either, so why keep putting you through them?

So let's reduce the capsules to... capsulettes? Yeah, something like that.

To recap:

IU -- Best case: 7-5; Worst case: 0-12; BS Prediction: 3-9. The Hoosiers are terrible and Bill Lynch is coaching for his job.

Michigan -- Best case: 8-4; Worst case: 3-9; BS Prediction: 5-7. Rich Rodriguez' job isn't getting easier and those who are talking about a potential 10-win season are dreaming, in our opinion.

Illinois -- Best case: 8-4; Worst case: 3-9; BS Prediction: 6-6. Zook has this program headed in the right direction and the more I think about it, that 6-6 seems tame. But looking at the tough schedule, I think 6-6 is a good year, actually, for this team.

Now for the ones we hadn't yet discussed:

Iowa -- Best case: 10-2; Worst case: 6-6; BS Prediction: 8-4. The Hawkeyes are a trendy top 25 pick right now. Maybe because they knocked off PSU last year? They have a schedule where if they go less than 8-4, Ferentz should be Ferentzed the hell out of the state.

Michigan State -- Best case: 12-0; Worst case: 7-5; BS Prediction: 10-2. MSU is going to be good. Really good. Barring John L. Smith flashbacks, this program is headed in the right direction. Toughest (and only significantly tough) game on the schedule is PSU, at home.

Minnesota -- Best case: 8-4; Worst case: 1-11; BS Prediction: 4-8. I know they started 7-1 last year. They're not good, though. And they have a fairly challenging schedule, made more challenging by the fact that they're not very good.

Northwestern -- Best case: 9-3; Worst case: 4-8; BS Prediction: 8-4. Another paper tiger. They'll win the games they should and they'll lose the games they should. Believe me, we know this kind of team when we see one. It's a Tiller Special, circa 2005-2008.

Ohio State -- Best case: 11-1; Worst case: 9-3; BS Prediction: 10-2. Get ready to hear all year about how OSU, despite being in the Top Ten, is a symbol of why the Big Ten sucks. I don't get it, either, and I really detest "defending" a team like OSU, but sometimes I feel like I have to living in Big 12 country. They'll be what they always are... well-paid, well-coached players.

Penn State -- Best case: 12-0; Worst case: 8-4; BS Prediction: 10-2. A fanbase who is quickly going from most-tolerated by us to midpack. Yes, your "white out" is quite impressive. No, you did NOT invent the "white out" concept. Deal with it.

Wisconsin -- Best case: 11-1; Worst case: 5-7; BS Prediction: 8-4. Brett Beliema is (or should be) coaching for his job. This is a program on the downswing. 2009 is a big year for them.

Feel free to chime in. Or feel free to point out how wrong we were at the end of the season and point and laugh and laugh.

Boiled Sports Joins the Blogpoll

Look at us, growing up and becoming men. Sort of, anyway.

We've been added to the ranks of bloggers who get to vote in the CBS college football blogpoll, brought to you by Brian of MGoBlog fame. A little more on the blogpoll can be found here, if you're so inclined.

Point is, we'll be voting this year. Which means.... what, exactly? Well, we're "encouraged" to get the poll up early in the week and let our readership chime/bash/insult/comment/poop/sigh about it. This is supposed to make us re-think omissions we may have made or things we might have overlooked. Of course, this assumes you guys (and girls) are smarter than us. Which, okay, may be so. But we have a vote. (Nyah-nyah!)

First poll is due Monday, so here's ours.

Rank	Team
1	Florida
2	Southern Cal
3	Texas
4	Oklahoma
5	LSU
6	Oklahoma State
7	Penn State
8	Ohio State
9	Alabama
10	Utah
11	Virginia Tech
12	Georgia
13	California
14	Mississippi
15	Oregon
16	Boise State
17	TCU
18	Georgia Tech
19	Michigan State
20	Illinois
21	Nebraska
22	Texas Tech
23	Kansas
24	Rutgers
25	Tennessee

Let me just say a few things before you jump all over it (if you were planning to jump all over it).

1) It's a preseason poll and preseason polls mean even less than in-season polls. And since nobody has played a game yet, it's about the best time to gives teams a vote who you might surprise people and thus, deserve some consideration. If you don't put Boise State in the Top 20 now, they'll never get high enough for a BCS bowl. That sort of thing.

2) After the top ten or fifteen (which are more or less what the media has decided, given in a slightly different order), I voted in some teams that aren't what the media thinks. Why? Because I can and because I think teams like Illinois, Rutgers and Tennessee are going to have better seasons than people think. Oh, and they definitely deserve a ranking more than teams like Notre Dame (who voters vote for because they're lazy) or Florida State (is this a going-away present for Bobby?).

3) Yes, we want your input on this, but only if you agree with us. No, of course that's not true. But let's not let things get out of hand. It's just a blogpoll, after all. Let's save our histrionics for the value of names on the back of Purdue's jerseys.

That's all. Enjoy and expect to see a revised poll each Sunday or Monday during the season.

Boilermakers and Fighting Irish to Play In Primetime

Despite the fact that Purdue football is just so damn "boring," the Boilermakers will play their annual grudge match against Notre Dame at 8 PM on Saturday evening, 9/26. Presumably, lights will be brought in. (Though, given the way they grow the grass strategically in South Bend, Fat Charlie will likely insist on a kill switch for the lights to use at his decidedly advantageous discretion.)

The game will be on ABC or ESPN which, you'll recall, was the prime spot for some of the best games of the year last fall. I don't mean to doubt our boys, but I don't see this one being one of those kinds of games.

Looking forward to Chuck's last season, though.

Penn State Has Fallen And They Can't Get Up

Thanks Penn State, for doing the Big Ten proud, you clowns. You have the road paved for you to either make the BCS national title game OR at least make a case for (again) why this system sucks. Instead, you laid a smelly egg in Iowa and lost the game to a team that really shouldn't have been on the same field with you.

I often say I hate being forced to defend teams that I don't like. But I live in Big 12/SEC country now and so that happens a lot. I am a Big Ten loyalist -- not that I root for Big Ten teams, necessarily, but I don't like it when the idiotic statement is accepted as fact that the Big Ten is lousy. It's not that bad.

There was a guy in my office two weeks ago who claimed that he thought Penn State was "maybe #25 in the nation." Now no matter whether you think the Big Ten is down or not, that's just silly and I told him so. When teams from the MAC, the WAC, the ACC and the Big East are in the Top 25, you simply cannot make that claim. Penn State is a good football team. But again, I hate to defend them because, well, I can't stand them or their senile coach (hint -- when you're too old and decrepit to even stand on the sidelines, it's over).

And then PSU goes and loses by a point to Iowa. And while I do think Iowa isn't nearly as good as PSU, they're having a quietly decent season. Which brings me to another point.

How come when a mediocre SEC team (like, oh, say, Ole Miss) squeaks one out against Florida, people say that just shows how tough the SEC is, but when the exact same kind of thing happens with Iowa and Penn State, it "proves" that PSU isn't for real? I don't follow.

While I do agree Florida is the best team in the SEC (Alabama will find this out in the conference title game), they lose to a team they never should have lost to. Why doesn't this disqualify them in voters and media memebers minds? Ah, because they've all collectively decided that the SEC is "so good" that it's "hard" to go undefeated. Yeah, it's hard to go unbeaten in any conference, stooges. Including the Big Ten.

The other frustrating media thing is when they all sing the praises of a darling like Ball State or Boise State and how they can go undefeated and "not get their shot." Yes, see, that's because they play cream puffs and come from truly second-tier conferences. Yet it's fun to act like they deserve a shot and a one-loss (or, let's face it, even if they'd been unbeaten) PSU team doesn't because the Big Ten is "down."

Whatever, I'm salty.

In Other Moron Media News

Todd Blackledge of ESPN fame was on ESPN radio this morning talking college football and he shocked listeners by saying he has no problem with no playoff and doesn't even think we need the title game that we have... basically saying he liked the old bowl system where if two unbeaten teams played in different conference-affiliated bowls and both won, that the voters got to decide... and that if they split the national title, then it's "okay to have several winners."

What is this, peewee football? Unbelieveable, that a clown like Blackledge could think that. I'm so tired of this arcane argument that the lack of a playoff system makes college football so much more interesting. It's a tired and ignorant argument. Yes, it creates discussion and arguments on The Sports Reporters. But so what? Don't you think it'd be more interesting to actually see the top 6 or 8 teams (or, hell, the top 4 teams) duke it out for a title? I just fail to see how one meaningful bowl game (and 30 meaningless ones) at the very end is better than some incredibly meaningful playoff bowl games followed by a true national champ. You can still have your useless Pointsettia Bowls and Music City Bowls and Sun Bowls. Nobody cares about those besides the schools playing in them (and Vegas) and that would continue. They're meaningless now and they would continue to be just as pefectly "traditional" and meaningless as the deceitful powers-that-be want you to think they care about them being.

College football is so much fun and so exciting and yes, there's a desperation involved because of the system. But the little bit you'd lose would be far outweighed by actually deciding a champion on the field.

I'm sure this won't be the last time I ramble about this before January.

Big Ten Roundtable -- Nostalgia Edition

It's time for this week's edition of the Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable, hosted this week by Our Honor Defend. So let's get on to Our Answers Written.

[Oh, and why the pic of delicious Jenna Fischer? Why not? The Office is back, we all like The Office, and we all like Jenna... and she's as worthy of space here as anyone.]

01. We're all basically in conference play now, sans Purdue who playedvisitor to Notre Dame over the weekend. What did you see in theconference opener that you liked? What did you see that suckednoodles? If you're one of the Purdue blogs, what did you see againstNotre Dame that has you nervous (or even optimistic) for yourconference opener against Penn State this Saturday? Oh, and, have funwith that game, by the way.

Question 01? What is this, the Dukes of Hazzard?

Pretty much everything "sucked noodles" for us. Losing to a not-very-good Notre Dame teams does not bode well for our season. There aren’t any more gimmes on the schedule and we think this team went from “typical 7-8 win Purdue team” to “will struggle to go to a bowl game.”

The offense, while not terrible, is wildly illogical in terms of playcalling. Something works (i.e. Kory Sheets) and so... we go away from it for a while. Then we go back when we shouldn’t. Lather, rinse, repeat.

On defense, well, we’re terrible… to the point where both OTT and us called for D-coordinator Brock Spack to be fired immediately. And anyone who reads either site knows we’re not knee-jerkers about this stuff.

We’re not optimistic, at all. PSU should run roughshod over us this weekend. All three BS staffers will be in attendance in Section 119, so if a miracle happens, then…wheee.

02. Ole Miss punked #4 Florida in Gainesville. #1 USC got punked byOregon State on national television? What's the underlying themebehind these bizarre upsets? You guessed it: magic. Some kind ofhocus-y pocus-y sorcery in the form of "familiarity". The idea beingpitched around is that these upsets come in conference games becausethe underdog has played the heavily favored team before, and thusisn't afraid of them nor surprised by anything they do. Should I buythis idea? Or are these upsets more likely the combination ofsomething more conventional, like great/horrendous gameplanning,preparation and execution by the underdog/favorite team respectively?

Probably a combination. Yes, I think there’s legitimacy to the claim of “familiarity” – it’s tough to continue beating an opponent who sees you a lot. And that transitions to gameplanning/preparation – if you know the opponent well, you can gameplan for them better. Right?

As for the examples you cited, though, I think Ole Miss is just a pretty good team in the tough SEC and USC took Oregon State lightly. I don’t think they were ready to play and this is becoming a little bit epidemic in the Pete Carroll era.

03. Entering the season, Beanie was the Big Ten's Heisman favorite.After a few games, Javon Ringer had put up the Heisman stats, though Idon't think anyone could've believed that Ringer would have the hypemachine necessary to get him to New York. Yet, after this week, I seehis name mentioned more and more in the Heisman race. Do you thinkRinger, at this pace, gets to New York on something more than acourtesy visit (on courtesy visit, see: everyone last year not namedTim Tebow; everyone in 2006 not named Troy Smith)? How about DaryllClark? Is Daryll Clark of Penn State legitimately in the Heisman raceafter week 5?

It’s too early to be talking Heisman. Let’s just slow down. It’s also too early to be talking about PSU like they’re national championship-bound. They just played their first legitimate opponent of the season and now they get us, so clearly, they have yet to be tested. Same goes for all Heisman hopefuls. 3-5 good games is a LONG way from being invited…. But if you’re demanding a prediction, I’ll say no, none of those guys go… but the best chance of going is maybe Clark.

04. With the nonconference schedule basically over, do you think theBig Ten collectively bettered its standing from the maligned positionit was in before the season began? For every Wisconsin victory overFresno State and Penn State thrashing of Oregon State, there'sMichigan's turnover bonanza against the Irish and Ohio State'sneutering by USC. Long question short, what sticks out more: thepositives or the negatives for the conference?

No. Everyone still thinks the Big Ten is weak and the only game the “nation” collectively paid attention to was aOSU getting obliterated at USC… who then went and lost to a different OSU. So Ohio State’s SOS gets knocked down another peg, further de-legitimizing the Big Ten.

We still think it’s a very legit conference and, top-to-bottom, there’s no way you can convince me it’s not on par (at least) with the Big 12, but the prevailing, idiot-wisdom from the media mouthpieces who have the ESPN stage (i.e., Mark May, Mark Schlabach, etc.) is that the Big Ten sucks, plain and simple, and after spitting that out they move on. If anyone paid any attention they’d see the “bottom” teams of recent years (NW, Minn, Purdue, IU) are much more competitive – and downright good in some cases – as the middle-to-bottom dwellers in other conferences. But whatever, everyone thinks we suck, why do I waste my time?

05. As I'm sure you may have seen on your moving pictures box, theErnie Davis movie has been getting a lot of publicity for its imminentrelease to theatres. The story, of course, centers around the firstAfrican-American Heisman winner and some of the trials that come frombeing a black athlete, playing before the Civil Rights movement andplaying in the Cotton Bowl. Does your football program have anuplifting story that you think is movie-worthy? If so, please share it.

The Seth Morales Story: The Tale Of A Walk-On Who Eventually Caught Perhaps The Biggest Pass In Recent Purdue History When Future NFL-er Mike Doss Blew His Help Coverage.

Starring Cowboy Joe Tiller… Seth Morales…and Drew Brees as The Gunslinger.

Here’s a clip of Drew talking about it.



And here’s the film itself.



Oscar-winner.

Joe Tiller -- What Might Have Been

"Hey, that's a handsome blog! Let's read that!"

With all the Tiller-love floating at Big Ten media day and likely throughout this season for what he’s done at Purdue, let me take a moment to talk a bit about what could have been.

Sure, we here at BS appreciate what ol’ Joe has done for the program. Lord knows all of us were at Purdue in the ‘90s, living through the Fred Akers Experience as well as the Jim Colletto...debacle. So, yes, to preface this, we definitely know how good things have been in comparison. But do you realize how good they could have been? And I’m not talking about “if only we’d not gotten blown out all those times!” I mean, simple things. Easy to fix things. Made our own opportunities and caught a few breaks. Your know, things that get taken care of by a well-prepared football team.

Coach Tiller has guided the Boilers to three 9-win seasons, plus three more 8-win seasons. Which means we’ve had five legitimate chances at 10-win seasons during Joe’s 11 years at the helm. Do you know how many teams in the Big Ten have not had a 10-win season during Joe’s years in West Lafayette? Just three – the Boilers, Northwestern (who did have a ten-win season in 1995, however) and, of course, the Hoosiers. Still, that’s upsetting.

So what could Joe’s tenure have looked like? I’m so glad you asked. Now bear in mind we’re not suggesting we “got robbed” in any of these cases, etc. Please understand that – fact is, our program is where it is on its own merits (or demerits?). But it’s fun to think about how things might be different if the close calls went the other way.

Let’s take a look.*

1997
Record: 9-3
Shoulda been: 10-2

In Coach Tiller’s first season, he took over a squad made up of Jim Colletto recruits that had just gone 3-8 in 1996 and turned them into an 8-3 regular season team that won a bowl game. We were all delirious, yes it’s true. And none of us would trade that awesome, fun season for anything. Those of us who saw it and had experienced what preceded it loved it. But let’s look at that season.

Overall, the Boilers went 9-3, including an excellent Alamo Bowl victory. However, they opened Coach Tiller’s tenure with a two-TD loss at Toledo. This was followed by six straight wins, including the first in a while over Notre Dame. There were theories that Tiller was sandbagging against Toledo and not showing his full arsenal – and if you look back at that game it sure looks that way – and was holding his cards close to his vest until unleashing hell on ND. I do remember thinking if we’d only been able to beat that Toledo team, we’d have opened the season 7-0. It was unfathomable. Boilerdowd, as he tends to do, brought me back to reality by pointing out that a victory in that first game might have affected our boys and they might not have been able to keep winning if they had the “undefeated” tag attached to them. A good point.

However, had they simply taken that first game, suddenly that’s a 10-2 team. Is that a guarantee? No, but it sure appears possible.

1998
Record: 9-4
Shoulda been: 11-2

Tiller’s second season continued the thrill ride as we were not yet spoiled enough to expect solid seasons. And yet here it came again. But just like his first year, Tiller’s team stumbled out of the gate on the road, losing by ten at USC. And let’s not forget, this isn’t Pete Carroll USC – this is Paul Hackett USC, a team that went 8-5 in 1998. Still, not an unreasonable loss.

No, the unreasonable botch in 1998 came up at the dirtcloud known as Notre Dame Stadium, when the Boilers squandered a chance to finally win there and lost, 31-30. One of the more painful losses to the Domers, and as it turned out, the one close one that definitely got away and stood between the Boilers and a ten-win season. The other two losses were @ Wisconsin (an 11-1 team the Boilers only lost by seven to, in Camp Randall) and @ Penn State.

The unforgettable Alamo Bowl over #4 Kansas State wrapped up a blissful season for the Boilermaker faithful.

2000
Record: 8-4
Shoulda been: 10-2

The 2000 season, despite only being an eight-win campaign, will stand out in the minds of any Purdue fan under the age of 50 as one of the true magical seasons. How can this be, though, with four losses? Trust us, we’re Purdue.

It was Drew Brees’ senior season and it culminated with a Rose Bowl appearance and Big Ten championship. Clutch wins over Michigan and Ohio State – in literally almost unbelievable circumstances – made this a truly incredible season. So what kept it from being a 10 or 11 win season?

An inexplicable loss at Notre Dame, 23-21, in a game that Brees simply proved he just couldn’t do it in South Bend. Penn State in Happy Valley, long a tough place to play, turned up a 22-20 heartbreaker. And a complete letdown game November 11 at Michigan State (losing 30-10) a week after the biggest win in Tiller’s tenure over OSU at home.

And then, of course, the Boilers came out for warm-ups at the Rose Bowl wearing helmets with roses through the Purdue “P” on the side. We knew we were in trouble then. Could any of the Notre Dame, PSU and MSU games have gone the other way? Sure. And losing to a 5-6 (2-6 in the Big Ten) MSU team was simply unacceptable.

2003
Record: 9-4
Shoulda been: 11-2

Purdue once again begins the year with a loss, this time to Bowling Green. But this one hurt especially bad because it was at home and was by one point. A little-known trivia fact is that this was the one game that Purdue wore their gold uniforms with black numbering on them. The previous year’s gold with white numbers at home were impossible to read from a distance or on TV and were universally panned, resulting in the new versions. Well, after losing in the new ones, too, Joe Tiller deemed the black the only way to go and so for the second home game of the year, the team burst out to “Back in Black,” and went on to not only destroy Arizona 59-7, but to also win six in a row to race out to a 6-1 start to the season.

And then they went to Michigan, where Joe pooped himself and the Boilers got destroyed 31-3. However, they rebounded to win two more in a row to move to 8-2 with three games to go, including the bowl. Sadly, only a victory over IU was in the cards, as the Boilers lost a squeaker at OSU, 16-13, and by a TD in the Cap One Bowl to UGA.

So what game could easily have been a win? Well, despite OSU being an 11-win team, the loss there could easily have been a victory. And if you want to talk about “shouda beens,” I think we can safely say the opening game against BG was a missed opportunity at a ten-win season. Damn gold unis.

2004
Record: 7-5
Shoulda been: 12-0

I was originally only going to mention seasons where the Boilers came within one or two missed opportunities of winning ten games, but I have to mention 2004 as well because this was the best 7-5 team ever. At least for the first half of the season. Talent, poise, leadership, confidence… this team had it all. And then “The Fumble” happened.

Purdue won its first two games by a combined score of 110-7. Then they overcame the trap game they usually lose under Joe, beating Illinois in Champaign 38-0. And then came almost everyone’s favorite Purdue-Notre Dame memory of the past 15 years, the 41-16 pasting by Orton and company, followed by a third straight road win over Penn State. Now, let’s think about this – beating three straight teams on the road, two of them being ND and PSU. This was not the Purdue we had come to know. This was a team that believed – and had us all believing – that anything could happen and that maybe – just maybe – we’d finally turned the corner as a program and that all the pieces might just be in the right places. Orton was being talked about for Heisman, Tiller seemed to be keeping an even keel, the players were working hard… it all looked good.

Even ESPN thought so, actually sending the GameDay crew to Purdue for the first and only time ever. And I remember Kirk Herbstreit listing his “Top 5” in the country and they went basically according to the AP poll – with Purdue being #5. How crazy was this? ESPN on campus, the Boilers undefeated, a night game that the whole nation was sort of paying attention to. Crazyness.

The crazyness continued into the game, with the Boilers playing strong, solid, SMART defense and holding a 17-7 lead with eight minutes to go. They hadn’t tried to do things they shouldn’t against a strong Wisco team. As I said, they played smart and plodding football and worked themselves into a position to win. I even admit, I was feeling good, up ten with eight minutes left at home and with Kyle Orton at the helm. What would our rank be? 3? 4?

Then Orton fumbled, Wisconsin recovered and the Purdue football program…. well, it still hasn’t recovered. Gut-wrenching losses at home to Michigan (16-14), at Northwestern (13-10) and at Iowa (23-21) dropped the Boilers to 5-4 and the season, despite not being completely outplayed in any game, was lost. Somehow, they managed to get up for the OSU game and won by seven, but that only rubbed in the salt, with all of wondering how great that win over OSU would have felt if we’d gotten wins in those close games leading up to it. Everyone, from players to fans, vented their frustration the final week is a 63-24 thrashing of IU. But as I said, it was a lost season and one with long-standing impact on the program. They shouldn't have lost ANY of the games they did.

2006
Record: 8-6
Shoulda been: 10-4

While the ’04 team was a hell of a lot better than 7-5, this team was the worst 8-win team you’ll ever see. When you looked at the 13-game regular season, you could EASILY project ten possible wins. And a 4-0 start got us thinking it even more. They’d only need to go 6-3 down the stretch – totally possible.

But then the soft underbelly of the team was exposed and they were blown out or otherwise dominated in four of the next five games to be at 5-4 after nine contests. Still, five winnable games remained on the schedule if you included the bowl game, and after they reeled off three straight wins to run to 8-4, I remember telling boilerdowd that we had no excuse not to win ten.

Well, we went out to Hawaii and allowed Colt Brennan’s system offense to hang on for a 42-35 win – which wasn’t bad since after basically not showing up for the first half, the Boilers roared back in the second half. Still, it wasn’t to be and the team apparently decided they didn’t care one bit about the bowl game, losing in uninspiring fashion to Maryland. (“Crab cakes and football – that’s what Maryland DOES!”)

2007
Record: 8-5
Shoulda Been: 11-2

Again, an eight-win season that felt like a lost season. Perhaps we’re getting restless now, but when you look at the lineup the Boilers had to face, ten wins doesn’t sound ludicrous. And a 5-0 start will only make you think it’s even more possible, knowing you only need a 5-3 finish to make it happen.

And then you lose to OSU at home and UM on the road – okay, par for the course. I could even take this consistent failure against these schools if we took care of business everywhere else. But losses by a TD at PSU and inexcusably by 17 against MSU – at HOME – are just not okay. PSU wasn’t that good last year and MSU wasn’t, either – plus they were in our house. Losing to IU was just another kick in the testicles – such is life as a Purdue fan.

--------------------------------------------------

So what if all of this had happened? Joe would literally be a legend in West Lafayette and the program would be on a steady upswing. Sure, we'd basically be Kansas State of the 1990s with a bunch of 10 and 11 win seasons and little to show for it, but still, I might take that. Let us know what you think.

*Warning – reliving these seasons and looking back at the links provided that show the game-by-game results may be depressing to your health and encumber your sexual performance. Consider yourselves warned.

Media Day -- Tilleriffic

For those interested in the few questions and answers that were lobbed to Joe Tiller on Thursday, the video is below. It's notable for the fact that the Big Ten Network felt that only about 11 minutes of Joe's 15 were worth showing, that Joe thinks "we will compete" this year and he thinks "genuine" is pronounced "jen-U-wine."



He also wants us all to know these media day shenanigans are seriously impeding his early retirement Wyoming fishing plans. Jeez, Joe, I thought you weren't retired yet.

I'll be curious if he flies in for games this year or simply coaches via headset from beside the North Platte River.

But What About Academics?

Well, the NCAA college world series is wrapping up this week, with a best-of-three series being played Mon-Weds of this week between Fresno State and Georgia. And, once again, we have another example of not caring about the student-athletes! Baseball is as bad as basketball, hockey, soccer, field hockey, fencing, skeet shooting... and anything else that has a playoff. Don't you people understand?? Only football has it right! The fairness of a voting system. The essence of competition between the best teams, as determined by a computer algorithm.

Here we go again, NCAA. You have teams playing in tournaments. What are you thinking? All that travel! How will these young, impressionable -- not to mention, delicate -- youngsters handle such rigors? Why, flying on airplanes... what is this? The future?

The NCAA baseball tourney kicked off almost a month ago. There were "Super Regionals" held in Athens, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Cary, NC; Coral Gables, FL; Fullerton, CA; Houston, TX; Tallahassee, FL; and Tempe, AZ. The Regionals before them actually included all those plus Ann Arbor, MI; Conway, SC; College Station, TX; Lincoln, NE; Long Beach, CA; Raleigh, NC; Stanford, CA; and Stillwater, OK.

It's madness, I tell you, MADNESS!!!

When will they have time to study? Couldn't this have overlapped with academic finals? See, college football is sensitive to such things by not having a playoff of any sort. Even though such a playoff would be held during 99% of schools' winter breaks.

Next thing you crazy-ass fans will want a tournament for football with 64 teams in it! Then where will the madness end?

----------------

In the end, folks, we all know why football doesn't have something that every single pro and college sport -- besides D-I football -- has. And that reason is.....

Me? Lose touch with reality? That's unpossible!

There's an interesting article by Ivan Maisel up on ESPN.com right now. It definitely sounds like something going on in my head right now, and apparently others heads when it comes to Joe Tiller.



There's something about being a fan that makes you lose touch with reality.

If it's your team, you should be proud that they went 8-4.

If it's my team, I can't stomach the mediocrity another day. We should have been at least 10-2.

If it's your team, there's something to be said for winning three division titles in 10 seasons.

If it's my team, the coach has got to go because he never won the conference.

If it's your team, 10 bowls in 11 seasons is a badge of honor.

If it's my team, and we play one more PapaJohns.com Bowl, I'm going to boycott takeout pizza.

If it's your team, you win despite a small recruiting base.

If it's my team, we've been ranked in the top 25 in recruiting five years running and our coaches can't develop talent.

If it's your team, you'll never overcome the rivals with deeper pockets and more tradition.

If it's my team, we had those guys beat with 10 minutes to play and that idiot of a coach blew the game.

If it's your team, I love your coach's one-liner about how they couldn't play dead in a cowboy movie.

If it's my team, and I hear that tired line about playing dead in a cowboy movie one more time, I'm going to stop donating to the athletic department.

If it's your team, your coach's 10 years are a sign of stability.

If it's my team, get that guy out of there -- now.

College Football, I still love you.

Sure, you hurt me this weekend, but girl, you're so special to me. I know, I know, late Saturday night I didn't want to talk to you, but I can't stop thinking about you.

This time of year some of my friends tell me, "Boilerdowd, you should come out with me and my friend MLB Playoffs..." But everytime I'm about to spend the night in another's arms, your whisper draws me back in.

The passion of a second-string quarterback, a bunch of REAL student athletes and a first-year coach beating the best team in the land makes me yearn for you.















Sometimes, especially after my weekend trips to West Lafayette, I think things are never going to change...you know, like our relationship is stuck in a rut. But then, a perennial middle-of-the-pack team reminds me that anything can change if the right parts are in place.



















Your intricacies draw me in...the way you wear your hair or the fact that South Florida and Boston College are both in the top-10 cause me to lose my focus during the work day. Sure, parts of your personality make me angry...


























But, what makes you special helps me look past your flaws and deeper into your soul.


I like the fact that Indianapolis is the home to the World-Champ, 5-0 Colts...But know that my heart belongs to you, College Football.

Please Welcome Buckeye Battle Cry to the Microphone

Today we have a little fun exchange for you. Jeff over at Buckeye Battle Cry (BBC) approached us about doing some Q&A between our two sites so our fans can learn a little about their fans and their fans can learn a little about us... like, you know, whether we leave the toilet seat up too much or things like that. Jeff seems like about as die-hard an OSU fan as you might find. Go back and check out his first post and you'll see the kind of fan passion that we can't help but respect here at Boiled Sports.

Anyhow, let's get on with the questions. And be sure to check out BBC later today for our answers to the questions Jeff posed to us.

Boiled Sports: What were tOSU fans expecting from this season when it began and has that expectation changed based on your strong 5-0 start?

Buckeye Battle Cry: There's two different ways to answer that question, and it's based specifically on the phrase "tOSU fans." Anytime you're nationally ranked as high as we have been the past three seasons, you pick up a lot of bandwagon fans. We're happy to have them because there's always room for more members of Buckeye Nation, but these are the fans that don't often understand and appreciate college football as much as the rest of us.

The newcomers to Buckeye Nation expected miserable results this year, and who could blame them? Look at who we lost! Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman, Ted Ginn, Anthont Gonzalez, Roy Hall, and a few more startes from the trenches. All the names that people knew well had left the team for greener pastures....outside of his family, who the hell owned a Brian Hartline jersey anyway? With all that talent gone, predictions of doom and gloom were the order of the day. So this 5-0 start has surprised a lot of them.

The long-term fans and those who love to study college football could have told you that anything LESS than 5-0 would be abject failure. Not only did we have confidence in players who already had extensive game experience (Beanie Wells, Brian Robiskie, Hartline, James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, etc etc etc), but we knew the 2007 schedule was not much of a challenge early on.

- We knew that Youngstown State was a cupcake scheduled back when we hired Tressel as a favor to the school we took JT from.
- Akron? Gimme a break.
- We saw Washington as a possible stumbling block, but only because it was our first road game. The Huskies still finished 8th in the PAC-10 last year.
- Northwestern was not a threat....their ratio of winning the Big Ten is about 3:1 against the arrival of Halley's Comet.
- Minnesota is breaking in a new coach, and their defense was suspect heading into the season.

We saw these five opponents and knew that 5-0 was a necessity. For us, the expectations are right where we thought they'd be. If we survive Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, we're counting our chickens at 8-0 with Kent State and Michigan State visiting the Shoe right afterwards. Then it gets tough. But yours is the only team in our first 8 that we see as a threat, and as you Boiler fans well know....it's with good reason.

BS: We'll just assume it was like Christmas came early when UM lost to App State and then got their doors blown off at home by Oregon, so we'll save that question. Tell us about another team in the Big Ten that OSU fans hate pretty strongly other than Michigan? That is, is there any pent-up, irrational dislike for Boilermakers? Badgers? Gophers?

BBC: First of all, we don't really "hate" Michigan. We just say we do. We totally respect and fear Michigan, as you should in any rivalry. We just pick on each other so mercilessly that it looks like we hate. You need to see how much love there actually is for one another, look at the "Hate Michigan" rally from last year. The band playing was the Dead Schembechlers, and when Bo actually died, the band contemplated cancelling the show. But instead, they placed "God Bless Bo" on the street sign and donated all proceeds of the rally to any charity the Schembechler family named. That comes from respect, admiration, and a love for the rivalry.

Boilermakers, Badgers and Gophers? No way....add Wildcats into that and you have four of the nicest pack of fans you'll ever run into. I've had the good fortune to see road games at all four stadiums of the aforementioned teams, and I have never walked away without feeling TOO welcome. It's not often you get invited to tailgate with oppsing fans, but it happens every time we visit Purdue, Wisconsin, Minnesota or Northwestern.

Anyway, to answer the question...Penn State fans suck ass. Never before has a pack of fans beat the dead horse of a middle-of-the-pack Big Ten squad like these people. When they entered the league, they believed they would dominate every week, and instead they have seen more below-.500 teams than winners. And yet they strut around like they have multiple national championships. Playing in Happy Valley is the ugliest sight you'll ever encounter...ask the marching band at OSU about the group of fans who poured urine on them. That's just the tip of the iceberg in Paternoville.

But since you said "Big Ten team", that leaves out Notre Dame. Dear God, am I enjoying their season thus far. Karma's doing a number on them, and Karma don't act without being prompted first.

BS: If you had to choose something, what would you say is an OSU weakness this season that could prove to be their undoing against a team like Purdue (or any other team if you really think there's zero chance of losing to Purdue)?

BBC: Two immediate thoughts come to mind. Turnovers and depth in key positions.

We turned the ball over 5 times against Akron and won 20-2. If we do that against a better team, we're in deep trouble. Since then, we've held onto the ball better, but the potential is still there.

Depth is a problem at quarterback. Todd Boeckman is a decent QB, but if he goes down, there's problems. Rob Schoenhoft doesn't have very good accuracy, and Antonio Henton has had more time in handcuffs than on the field. Henton's the future QB, but no experience leaves us precariously thin if Boeckman takes a hard shot. It's a quick recipe for a Purdue win.

Count that same issue at RB. Beanie, Maurice Wells, and Brandon Saine are all capable, but I don't think Mo Wells can carry this team in the run game. Saine is recovering from minor knee surgery and might be back on Saturday....but if he's not, and Beanie goes down....see the above paragraph.

As always, we're deep at LB, and linemen on both sides of the ball. But those QBs and RBs scare me.

Thanks for having me on Boiled Sports. Hope I left the place as clean as I found it!

A Programming Note

Over the summer, we were invited to participate in a new Google Group created specifically for "Big Ten Bloggers." We replied and said that sounded grand and we'd love to participate. We then forgot about it. (Well, let's face it... I forgot about it and, much like Kory Sheets, I dropped the ball -- thank you, thank you; I'll be here all week!)

Anyway, I got off my duff the other day and Boiled Sports joined up with many other Big Ten Bloggers around the country. It's kind of funny to be in a Google Group with guys whose loyalties you might otherwise be bashing on. But they're clearly a good group of loyal Big Ten-ers and we're proud to be a part of it.

So you'll see a few housekeeping things around here. Down on the right side, you'll see a feed for the various things being written about by the various Big Ten Bloggers. Keep in mind, we don't necessarily endorse any of it -- we're just helping our fellow man with their site traffic. But we do recommend checking it out -- you really do learn things about our opponents and how the "other side" thinks if you read some of these. Nearly all of them are excellent.

One of the weekly features is a roundtable that one of the sites hosts and each other site weighs in on. We're late to the game to focus on this week's but I think we'll definitely start chiming in on those. Another feature you may see in the coming weeks is a little back-and-forth between us and our opponent's blogs. A couple are already brewing.

So now you're up to date. Back to your regular programming.

Gopher Toe

Each week we attempt to give you some things to think about regarding that week's Purdue game. For tonight's matchup with Minnesota, I just couldn't help posting this picture of the Minnesota Golden Gopher's... cameltoe, I guess.

Tonight the Boilers take on the 1-2 Gophers in the Metrodome in front of... several fans. Seriously, Minnesota needs to put a major college level football stadium back on their campus. It's kind of ridiculous.

Let's go back two years. Glen Mason, then Gopher's coach, basically got his team ready for Purdue starting with Spring practice. The Boilers had kind of owned Minny for a while and Mason was tired of losing to Tiller. His players played an inspired game in the Big Ten opener in 2005 and the Gophers prevailed -- barely -- in overtime. They reacted like they'd just won the Rose Bowl. Predictably, they tumbled in the subsequent weeks. None of us could really figure out why they took Purdue so seriously -- nobody else does, often to our advantage.

So last year, Glen Mason brought his senior noodlearm QB Brian Cupito into West Lafayette and the Boilers won a sloppy game that was a portent of things to come in the Boilers unimpressive 8-win season.

Well, things are a little different now. Mason is no longer there and the Gophers are starting a freshman QB. However, I'll tell you what hasn't changed: Minnesota still really can't stop anybody on defense and it looks like this Purdue-Minny game might look like the way they looked back when the cadre of writers here at Boiled Sports were starting our time at Purdue in the early/mid-90s. Purdue typically owned them back then, too, and used to win games by scores like 59-56. Nobody could stop ANYone and guys like Rick Trefzger looked like Heisman-caliber passers. Well, I think we could be in for another entertaining, if sad, shootout.

Minnesota is 1-2 but hasn't scored less than 31 points in any game. However, they've lost to Bowling Green and Florida Atlantic, so what does that tell you? Well, basically, that they couldn't stop boilerdowd if he were rushing the ball.

On the positive side for Minny, they've only lost their two games by a total of four point, and their starting QB, Adam Weber, has thrown for almost 800 yards and ten TDs in just three games. Not bad, but that's mainly because they've played three shootouts and are often (always) playing from behind. What scares me about this is that Purdue's defense, while improved, has still taken some quarters off against far lesser opponents. Sure, they've played some decent mid-level schools and maybe a mid-level school equals a marginal Big Ten school (like Minnesota). My point is that what concerns me is this game being a trap game: its SO easy to look ahead at the schedule and see a win tonight, a win next week at home against the South Bend Geniuses and then welcoming OSU to town at 5-0. And if it's easy for US to do that, then you know it's easy for the players to do that. And none of us have any confidence that our coaching staff can keep this squad focused. We're on the road tonight, playing against a team that can put up points. Sure, they won't be able to stop us, either, but what if we take a quarter off and are down 17 points? The question will be whether Painter and company can come back in that "environment." Fortunately, it's only the Metrodome and Minnesota fans so that's a nonfactor.

I checked in with my esteemed co-author boilerdowd and he thinks I'm unnecessarily concerned:

Minnesota's pass defense: 118th
Purdue's pass offense: 15th

Minnesota has allowed over 400 passing yards PER GAME. They've played BGSU, UM (Ohio) & Florida Atl.

I honestly don't see how they can win this game...It's much like it was during the Brees years at Purdue, but more lop-sided against the Gophers. I don't know if it's fair to call it a trap. It should be nearly like Purdue is playing without a defense opposing them.

I love that last line. "It should be nearly like Purdue is playing without a defense opposing them"

Yes, if they're focused. A bigger "if" than any of us want to admit.

Well, as I write this, the game is just ten hours away. So let's get on with it, prediction time.

boilerdowd:

Purdue 49
Mini 10

Painter & Bryant make it rain in the dome...also Orton to start another TD streak. Look for Dan Dierking to look strong as he has had a full week with the 1s. Defense gets back to where it was in the first half of the CMU game.

Tim:

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

J Money:

I would be supremely disappointed if we lose this game because we're such a better team than Minnesota. As long as the Boilers stay focused early, this one shouldn't be a problem. However, I do think we'll give up points in chunks tonight unless the defense is just crushing in the first quarter and truly rattles Weber.

Boilers: 45
Gophers: 33

Saddle up, boys, the Big Ten schedule begins today and it's time to get serious.