Man oh man, we are one day from the Old Oaken Bucket game, and I am just stoked (drenched with sarcasm)!!! Two teams, both bowl eligible, both seeking to better their status with the bowl committees, both not very good. Many IU fans think Lewis' decision-making ability is so bad that he should be benched...many Purdue fans think Painter's decision-making ability is so bad that there should be an open contest during spring and fall to see who starts next season. One team is led by a bristly veteran coach who would have to go Kyle Williams to get fired, the other has taken his team to a .500 record for the first time in a long time and probably won't have his contract renewed for '08. So, there are differences in these teams and there are similarities.

So, what do the not-so-wise sages of BS think will happen tomorrow afternoon in Bloomington? Let's find out...

J Says:
Like my colleagues here at BS, I'm deflated by Purdue's recent play. Our season feels sorta "over" even though it isn't yet. And that's not good. If that translates to this weekend's game, we're in SERIOUS trouble. I'm talking, embarrassing loss to IU kind of trouble. And that's something that didn't even happen much when Jim Colletto was the coach. Still, a win means an eight-win season which is at least respectable and gets us into a decent bowl in a decent venue. A loss locks up a Motor City Bowl... maybe.

I don't know what else to say.... but I will have faith for one more week. I say the seniors decide to turn it on one more time.

Purdue 44
IU 31

Tim says:
I think Purdue is going to lose. The Penn State game feels exactly like the 2004 Wisconsin game. It completely took the wind out of the sails.

I'm not even going to predict a score because it sucks so bad.

Boilerdowd says:
Last Saturday, as Purdue fell to a 17-point deficit with about 13:00 left, I said aloud, "It's over." A young lady who sits behind us in 119 said, "Of all people, I can't believe you're giving up..." I responded, "Sorry, but this team doesn't have the fight in it that some of the teams did a few years ago. Sadly, as the time melted off of the clock, my premonition turned out to be true. Our Boilers went down with little more than a murmur. Now that there's no possibility of a quality bowl, I think the fight will be gone yet again. If Purdue would have beaten MSU, I'd think otherwise...MSU isn't good, but they manhandled my favorite team.

Last year a pretty bad IU team almost beat a marginal Purdue team in Ross Ade...This year, nearly the same Purdue team faces an improved IU team at IU. This is why I think our Boilers lose.

It should be a perfect late fall afternoon in Bloomington...for me to poop on. I look for IU's pressure up front to create problems for Painter all-day. Perhaps the Sheets & Taylro tandem will have a big day. Conversely, I think Lewis will have lots of time to decide whether to throw the ball up to Hardy or scramble. I do think there could be a lot of points scored by both teams, but unlike last week, I have a really bad feeling about this one.

IU's breaking out their retro '68 Rose Bowl unis for the contest...and they're bringing back members of the team to lead them on the "Walk" to the stadium. So all of the stops are being pulled in Memorial Stadium tomorrow afternoon. That emotion puts IU over the top in the contest.

Purdue 27
IU 39

Here's to me being wrong two weeks in a row...but I doubt it.