The Predicto Returns – Boilers Take on the Ville

Jeff Brohm gets to start things off against the program he played for. College football tends to deliver fun situations like this. Prime time, national coverage on Fox this Saturday evening. Whoo. Let’s get it started….Let’s play football!

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Does Purdue win?

Boilerdowd: I believe Purdue will lose versus Louisville by 14-20 points...

Michael: HA! Come on.

Aneesh: Hell yes. (Absolutely not, wtf, don't ask me anything like that again.)

Dave: No.

J: No, probably not.

Do they have a chance?

Boilerdowd: I believe they have almost no chance of winning; but I'll still be in attendance at the Oil Can.

Michael: Ummmmm no. 

Aneesh:  For sure they have a chance. (...to cover the 21.5-point spread.)

Dave: No. The opener is one of four(!) 20+ spreads Massey has on Purdue's schedule right now (the others are Michigan, at Wisconsin, and at Iowa; at Northwestern is 19), and computer spreads generally tail off pretty quickly once you get beyond two scores. I wouldn't take Purdue and 35 points Saturday.

J: Yes. This is when upsets happen. Nobody knows how good or bad either team is.

Purdue wins if….

Boilerdowd: I think Purdue would win if Blough is 100%...and completes nearly 100% of his passes while Knox/Jones combine for over 200 yards. I think Purdue would also need the defense or ST to score for the good guys to win.

Michael: The Louisville players stage a mass protest and sit.

Aneesh: Lamar Jackson switches teams. Also, if a Boilermaker pass rush somehow emerges against Louisville's line, it could get a little more interesting than Cardinals fans want to see.

Dave: Purdue wins if the rules of the game are changed. Not gonna happen, kids.

J: Brohm’s offense keeps Lousiville on their heels, the Boilermaker defense plays over their heads and Purdue gets a special teams or defensive touchdown. Maybe both.

The moral victory is attained if…

Boilerdowd: The always important moral victory will be obtained if Purdue can compete for three quarters...I'll define competing as staying inside 7-10 points. I think Lamar Jackson will go off. We'll know it's over when Jackson is able to completely dictate the pace of the game and method by which L'Ville moves the ball. If Purdue can't control him on the ground or air...it'll be a loooooooooong evening. Take away one, and Purdue could stay close for a half.

Michael: Brohm is still the head coach when the game's over, instead of taking off to live out his days as a monk, escaping his dark inner turmoil caused by his stint as coach of Purdue football.

Listen, kool-aid aside, this team isn't any good. I don't expect them to be good, I frankly don't even care if they're good. I just want them to be fun. Score some points, give up more points, who cares. Just be entertaining. No more Purdue games where it feels like I'm getting my fingernails torn out with vice grips. My bar is so low that I had to dig a ditch to place it in.

Aneesh: Purdue plays a top-20 team (with one of the most dynamic Heisman winners of this era) close for three quarters. Louisville's defense projects to be a veteran and tough unit, so if Brohm can find a way to get real production out of the stable of running backs it should bode well for the rest of the season.

Dave: A moral victory would be a sustained drive for a TD. You could argue that simply scoring on Louisville would be a moral victory, and I'd let it be, but I'd like to see the offense generate points on its own. Having said that, I don't much care what happens Saturday, or even this season - the size of the job Brohm has is known, and it isn't happening in one season (or maybe two). Go out, play hard, show signs of improvement ... oh, OK, there is one more thing. See what you can do about that Bucket, Coach.

J: Purdue doesn’t get embarrassed. Seriously, that’s all you need to do to show improvement. Just close your eyes and imagine for a moment… Darrell Hazell coaching this game. Mercy. Purdue might lose by 70 under the Haze. So if Brohm keeps this close enough to be a fun game that’s a win.

Final Score?

Boilerdowd: L'Ville 33, Purdue 13

Michael: Louisville 45, Purdue 24

Aneesh: Louisville 44, Purdue 24

Dave: Louisville 56, Purdue 10

J: Louisville 38, Purdue 24