2022 Purdue Football: Too early a look

Lucas Oil Stadium will probably still have confetti on the field and probably a couple of Georgia fans in the drunken center, but it doesn’t matter. The 2021 college football season is over. As a blogger, by law, I have to publish some sort of “look ahead” article today under the guise of “too early”. Our attorney, Jumboheroes, supports me here.

Also, since we suddenly don’t have basketball tonight, it’s adding content. There are only 235 days left to go in the 2022 season, so look ahead.

Sept. 3 vs. Penn State (7-6, 4-5 Big Ten, 15-3-1 all time vs. Purdue)

If driven in the Western Crown, it will possibly start at the opening of the night game season directly to conference games. Based on past seasons, I see this game moving into Friday night on September 2nd^nd it’s Thursday night 1.9. Nevertheless, it is a very interesting home opener. Purdue has one of the best quarter builders in the conference, and this usually means high expectations. This is the hardest of Boilers ’three crossover games, so winning raises expectations to the skies. After starting this year 5-0 and reaching No. 4, Penn State crashed 7-6. Purdue fans certainly don’t know anything about it.

Sept. 10 vs. Indiana State (5-6, 3-5 Missouri Valley, 0-5 all time vs. Purdue)

Boilers will receive an FCS game for the first time in six years and a check for Trees. Purdue has never lost to an FCS-level opponent since the division was formed, and I don’t expect it to start here. There’s no valid reason to lose to the FCS team if you’re in a Power 5 conference… unless you’re stupid enough to schedule North Dakota State (sorry, Arizona). If such a loss occurs, the said Power 5 team should be required to immediately give the conquering FCS home game in the following season (i.e. State of Florida should go to Jacksonville State in 2022). Be DEEPLY concerned if this is even close. Trees are probably better than UConn, at least.

September 17 in Syracuse (5-7, 2-6 ACC, 0-1 All Time vs. Purdue)

Orange started strong but ended 2021 by losing six of their last eight matches. They lost Rutgers 10 and Clemson 3, so they can have weird results. It was still a better year than their season 1-10 in 2020. They were still 10-3 in 2018, but they have had a loss-making season for three years in a row. We also get a dome stadium! Purdue has not won indoors since the 2011 Little Caesar’s Bowl. It will definitely be interesting.

September 24 vs. Florida Atlantic (5-7, 3-5 Conference USA, first meeting)

I am very curious to see how this becomes. A program like the FAU often succeeds very well in acquiring surplus talent from an area. They were 5-7 this year, but won their conference 11-3 and won their conference in both 2017 and 2019. Their one Power 5 game was a 35-14 loss to Florida while the Gators were still good. They ended up losing four in a row and didn’t get more than 17 points in all four. This is going to be a very good tuning game that we have hardly had under Jeff Brohm.

Oct. 1 in Maryland (7-6, 3-6 Big Ten, 2-1 All Time vs. Purdue)

When the Terps were good, they were very good. They competed for a 4-0 start and even spent some time in the top 25. Then they barely squeezed into the bowl, hitting Indiana and Rutgers as the four of the East blew them up. There they exploded Virginia Tech. The last time we traveled to Maryland, Darrell Hazell was very lucky to stay at work after another week’s embarrassing 50-7 loss. Are they better or the middle bowl team again? They have talent, but at the moment I would say Purdue is one step ahead.

Oct. 8 vs. Iowa (10-4, 7-2 Big Ten, 39-50-3 All Time vs. Purdue)

Don’t worry, Iowa. David Bell can’t hurt you anymore. This time it’s just Milton Wright, as Purdue receivers led by Jeff Brohm usually have career days against Iowa’s minors. Hawkeyes will once again become a solid top 20 team, but Brohm has had Ferentz number 4-1 for him in the last five years. It makes me like our opportunities. It’s a really favorable coaching event at this point.

Oct. 15 in Minnesota (9-4, 6-3 Big Ten, 41-33-3 all time vs. Purdue)

There’s a world where Purdue leads 6-0 to Minneapolis, and that world has at least a decent picture of reality in nine months. Although Brohm has had Kirk Ferentz’s number since Purdue’s arrival, PJ Fleck’s number has been Brohm’s. He’s 4-1 against Purdue as he rowed a boat to the Twin Cities and made Gopher a sensible Wisconsin clone. This could become a giant game in the West next season.

Oct. 22 vs. Wisconsin (9-4, 6-3 Big Ten, 51-29-8 All Time vs. Purdue)

Due to COVID schedule changes in 2020, we will have our second home game against Badgers in a row. Is this the last year Purdue will end his vanity against badgers? Coach Brohm has come close, but the series continued this season with Aidan O’Connell’s worst game of the year. This Iowa-Minnesota-Wisconsin leg is likely to determine the fate of Purdue in the West. It will probably have to beat two of them.

Ed note: Changes are coming

Oct. 29 vs. BYE

Nov. 5 in Illinois (5-7, 4-5 Big Ten, 45-46-6 All Time vs. Purdue)

The first of two straight games against teams that had a very frustrating season in 2021. The Illinians were 5-7, but they made life difficult for their opponents in those losses. Four of the seven losses came with a touchdown or less, including a Purdue loss of 13-9. Their crime was mostly horrible. They couldn’t pass, but were able to run a little and the defense was generally pretty good. We know that Bret Bielema can also succeed in Big Ten.

November 12 in Nebraska (3-9, 1-8 Big Ten, 5-5 All Time vs. Purdue)

Is Scott Frost still coaching Cornhuskers at this point? Their ability to lose close games is simply amazing. Admission to the league 1-8, but a flat score difference is basically an art. We know what Nebraska is currently under Frost. They have a decent attack and a promising defense, but they play 3-4 galactically stupid games per game, which costs them tremendously. I know they’ll be jumped into the top 25 in the early season, but why at this point? The media understands that even small losses are still losses, right? There have been a lot of them in Nebraska.

Nov. 19 vs. Northwestern (3-9, 1-8 Big Ten, 33-52-1 All Time vs. Purdue)

At least this is going to be on the right football field this year, but unfortunately it promises to be a Good Northwestern year. Quick, can you name when Purdue last won the Wildcats at Ross-Ade Stadium? The answer is 2007! It’s a five-game losing streak, while Purdue has won twice at Evanston and once at Wrigley Field since. The biggest question for them is, have they found a quarterback?

November 26 in Indiana (2-10, 0-9 Big Ten, 42-75-6 All Time vs. Purdue)

Indiana was one of 14 teams to start the season in the top 25 of the AP but went unpunished. They were one of six teams that dropped out of the top 25 and ended up with a record loss in North Carolina (6-7), Florida (6-7), USC (4-8), Washington (4-8). and Texas (5-7). They were the only ones who didn’t win the conference game, and they were very close to not winning the FBS-level game. It’s just an epic level facial. I have no idea what they make encore, but you have to wonder how so much hype they got was hilariously wrong. Not only did they go to Big Ten in 0-9, when some thought they could beat the East, but they failed to score 100 points in Big Ten and were held at 7 points or less SIX times.

I’m not even going to start speculating on Purdue’s record this year, but on paper it is finally a very favorable table. Iowa is the only team to rank in the top 25 this year, losing to Purdue by 17 points. Nothing. Three of our non-conference opponents played in the bowl, nor did four of our conference opponents in Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern and Nebraska. For the 2022 season, the schedule is very, very nicely positioned, at least for Purdue.

Still, we’re Purdue fans and we know we don’t take anything for granted (as we learn basketball right now).