It seems each season there is a stretch of 3 or 4 games that are monstrous. Tiller has called these stretches Murder's Row on a few occasions...and our Boilers are about to enter such a stretch.
I told you what I thought- This Purdue team, if it continues to play the way it has played thus far will struggle to get 6 or 7 wins and become bowl eligible if something doesn't change. The offense has suffered greatly from the loss of of its receiving threats in '07...But, the emergence of Kory Sheets has been fun to watch as the passing game has floundered. I actually think this offense is capable of much more and will begin to "click" as we progress in '08. But, it won't be easy to get on track the next few weeks.
Purdue first travels to their own personal Hell, South Bend, to face a team that isn't that great. But, if history is any indicator, Purdue will struggle to win there. Other than the Orton/Stubblefield win of '04, the Boilers have been nothing short of horrible in ND Stadium. While I don't think UND is in Penn State or aOSU's class, the fact that it's away makes this a tough game for Tiller and Co. Our Boilers will be battling the UND football team as well as Voo Doo Catholocism all afternoon next Saturday.
Purdue next hosts an offensive juggernaut (this season) in the Penn State Nittany Lions. They're a good team...they've scored a lot of points and have allowed very few...but they haven't played ANYONE. I think the Illinois game should give us a better gauge of the quality of this team; so we'll know more next week about both Purdue and PSU. Until then, JoePa needs to make sure all of his players stay out of jail so they're available.
Following PSU, Purdue has the pleasure of traveling to Columbus to face the new-fangled Pryor-led aOSU offense. Honestly, while I was impressed with some of Terrelle's accumen, I'm not sold on the Bucknuts offense...and USC showed that the Scarlet and Gray truly aren't in the nation's elite at this point. aOSU has the same problem that Purdue does at this point- their offensive playcalling is extremely conservative and teams seem to know what they're doing based on formations. While aOSU is not the team that many thought they'd be at this point, this is my "Put it down in Sharpie" loss for our Boilers in '08. Don't get me wrong, I think they'll lose plenty of others, but I'm so confident in that week's game, I'm not even going to be near a TV.
This stretch to me is the defining period for Tiller's final season. I think if they don't win any or win just one, we're staring at another Motor City Bowl or none at all. If they can manage two victories, It'll be a January 1 bowl (which they won't)...If they win all three (which they can't), I'm going to book a $700 flight to Pasadena for the first of the year...
Am I negative or realistic? I think that's up for debate. Am I challenging my Boilers? Absolutely.
Prove me...no prove us...no prove the nation wrong, Boilers.