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no QB and not one senior as a key player

never expected the Noles to flounder this badly

no QB and not one senior as a key player

never expected the Noles to flounder this badly

I know ain't it great

When justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream, the Earth will open and swallow the Baylor football program.

Good because I'm sure the NFL will be caught up in that current also

44. Purdue Boilermakers

#9 in Big Ten

For the second straight year Purdue fans dodged a poaching of their head coach.  Last year it was a helmet school in Tennessee, this offseason it was his alma mater, Louisville.  It’s one thing to reject a lateral move, but to turn down a helmet job and your alma mater, who is left to fear?  The NFL?  Now if Jeff Brohm could just get his offense and defense to align in up years, he’d really have something.  He had a surprising debut in 2017, mainly due to a veteran defense, with underrated talent, that was just in need of coaching.  Then last year he showed off his offensive chops with a talented and experienced offense, that helped a defense that struggled at times.  Now, it swings back on the defense to carry the weight.  The head of that defense is middle linebacker Markus Bailey, who might be the preseason favorite for the Butkus-Fitzgerald Award.  The senior decided to return to West Lafayette after finishing second in the conference with 115 tackles, and leading Purdue with 5.5 sacks.  He does have the fortune to play behind big Lorenzo Neal, who at 6’3” and 315 pounds, has to be in the conversation for largest single digit jersey in the nation.  He first became known for taking the personal foul penalty in the opener against Northwestern last year, which cost the Boilermakers a chance to get the ball back with a shot at the win.  But after that he also became a massively (in both senses of the word) disruptive force in the middle on a defensive line where he was surrounded by three new starters, all of whom now return.  As great as the front seven looks, it’s on the secondary to improve.  Purdue allowed 284.7 passing yards per game, most in the Big Ten, allowing opponents to complete 62.3% of their passes, on 7.7 ypa.  Nick Holt threw redshirt freshman Kenneth Major out there, and the 19 year old responded, and going into 2019 is the only certainty in that back group.  The front seven has a chance to be better than the 2017 group, but it’s all for naught if the secondary doesn’t improve.  Purdue has finished in the bottom two of the conference in passing yards allowed in both of Nick Holt’s seasons.  The offense loses every major contributor from 2018, save one.  But oh boy, that one…  Rondale Moore is the single most exciting player I’ve seen in the Big Ten since Ted Ginn, except he’s bigger, and I think better.  It got to the point late in the year where it seemed like the offense was almost trying too hard to force him touches, but he still generally responded.  Even when he was “shut down” he still had solid games.  Really you just have to try and limit his yac yards, and prevent big plays.  Aside from Moore, there is plenty of uncertainty, starting with an offensive line that loses four seniors.  At least Elijah Sindelar has plenty of experience, sharing the QB1 role with David Blough in 2017, and still getting a start last year as the backup, when Blough was hurt.  The remaining skill positions are not in nearly as good as shape.  Purdue had a deep stable of backs last year, but D.J. Knox and Markell Jones both graduated, and the rest underperformed.  Zander Horvath, who finished 5th on the team with 42 yards is the leading returning running back.  If the answer is to get Rondale Moore more carries out of the backfield, you have the issue of Jared Sparks, who was 5th on the team in receiving, being the only other wideout with more than 8 receptions a year ago.  Two of Purdue’s three highest rated recruits are receivers, David Bell and Milton Wright.  They have a chance to see plenty of opportunities right out of the gate, although neither enrolled early, so spring ball will give someone else a chance to emerge.

	KEY PLAYERS
WR	Rondale Moore, Sophomore
TE	Brycen Hopkins, Senior
T	Matt McCann, Senior
	.
DT	Lorenzo Neal, Senior
LB	Markus Bailey, Senior
CB	Kenneth Major, Sophomore

so, at this time, predicting the Boilers over the Huskers on November 2nd?

I'd pick them in West Lafayette, I believe that's where it is this year.

It was very refreshing to see Brohm continue to work on the upswing he’s got going at Purdue rather than running for the money. You know he’s getting close to getting the defense and offense on the same page, built off improved recruiting, and it’ll make for a much stronger West division. Weird, but last year gave me more faith in Purdue under Brohm than Wisconsin under Chryst.

The SEC is kinda getting left out here, I sense bias.  Kentucky could well be "down" after losses.  Tennessee looks to me like a 7-6 kind of team.  South Carolina?  The SEC does well in most preseason rankings ...

I had a notion based on little that Nebraska might be pretty decent this year, like 9-4ish, which would get them in the top 25 in most years.  Am I wrong?  Could they be the next Texas?  Second year coaches often seem to exceed expectations.