I don’t really have a lot of confidence in Purdue or coach Danny Hope. Judging by the Purdue graduates that I interact with (none of whom still live in Indiana), this isn’t an uncommon sentiment. What other people might call unabashed pessimism, we call being harshly realistic.
Therefore, when I say that Purdue will go to the Big Ten Championship game, it has nothing to do with homerism. In fact, I have fear for what would happen to Purdue if they had a national spotlight shone on them.
How does Purdue get to the Big Ten Championship? Through a very weak Leaders division, that’s how. To wit:
Penn State and Ohio State: Suspended
Indiana: Perennially terrible. Just got blown out by Ball State. Ball State.
Illinois: Played one game against a good team, Arizona State. Lost by 31.
Wisconsin: Struggled with Utah State and Iowa State. Lost to Oregon State.
Purdue has handled their mediocre opponents well, and played their one decent opponent, Notre Dame, close, and they did so on the road. Notre Dame also just beat Michigan State in East Lansing, so they might not be too bad.
So Purdue is going to play in the Big Ten Championship, with one team between them and the Rose Bowl. But who will they play in the championship game?
Well, Minnesota is undefeated.
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