We are a quarter of the way through the season (for most teams) so let’s take a look at how Purdue’s season opponents performed this week:
Ball State Cardinals (1-2)
Won 34-29 vs New Hampshire
Ball State struggled to beat FCS New Hampshire at home this week. Will the Cardinals finish last in the MAC?
Southern Illinois Salukis (2-1)
Won 37-10 at UT Martin
I can’t pretend to know the landscape of the FCS world, but SIU is ranked 13th amongst the FCS teams. Seems decent.
USC Trojans (3-0) Won 33-17 at
Purdue The Trojans get their first win in Eastern time in over a decade thanks in part to some Purdue miscues. The Trojan offense came down to normal levels while the defense held its ground for the most part.
#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-2)
Lost 41-40 vs #16 Texas A&M
The Irish fell at home but fear not, they are still ranked despite starting 0-2. Purdue can effectively end Notre Dame’s season this week if they can pull the upset.
#9 Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0)
Won 38-0 vs Western Michigan
The Fighting Illini keep chugging along. This week’s matchup at Indiana should be some good TV, even though we hate it.
Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-1)
Lost 27-14 at Cal
A late game on the West Coast turned into the first loss of the season for Minnesota. Playing without Darius Taylor really seemed to hurt the Gopher offense.
Northwestern Wildcats (1-2)
Lost 34-14 vs #4 Oregon
Admittedly, this game was much closer than I anticipated but West Coast teams traveling east usually bogs them down. We will likely see who the worst Big Ten team is this week when UCLA heads to Evanston.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-0)
Won 60-10 vs Norfolk State
Rutgers came out of their non-conference schedule without a loss. Now, the tough schedule begins.
#23 Michigan Wolverines (2-1)
Won 63-3 vs Central Michigan
Bryce Underwood is a very capable quarterback, especially against an overmatched MAC team at home. Justice Haynes continues to battle Jonah Coleman as the top running back in the Big Ten.
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0)
Won 37-9 vs Ohio
Ohio State isn’t going to drop from their top ranking after a 4-touchdown victory over one of the best MAC teams but this game felt ugly. OSU only led by 10 at halftime and Julian Sayin had multiple interceptions. The Buckeyes have some things to clean up still as they head to Seattle after a bye this week.
Washington Huskies (2-0)
BYE
Washington heads to Pullman for the Apple Cup this week before hosting Ohio State next week. It’s gonna be an adrenaline rush for Huskies fans.
#22 Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)
Won 73-3 vs Indiana State (Friday)
One last flex on lesser talent before IU hosts Illinois at home this week. The Hoosiers looked outmatched each time they played good teams last season, so this game may be a measure of their progress from a year ago.
