| This line has been jumping back and forth all week, but no matter where it lands, all the media types talk like TCU is a guaranteed winner. I'm not seeing it. That Nevada loss looks somehow worse than it did at the time. But I also think the Vanderbilt win is being written off too casually. Vanderbilt is by no means a good team, but they have some really good offensive weapons. Obviously the Purdue injuries are a factor, with Markus Bailey, their best defender, being done for the year. Starting quarterback Elijah Sindelar remains a game time decision. I'll go with the assumption that he's going to play. The case for Purdue remains the same, too many mental mistakes, and they don't play up to their ability when they make them. It cost them at Nevada, as it did in multiple games last week, but they cleaned a lot up last week against Vandy. For their part, it's tough to get a read on TCU, they opened against Pine Bluff, where they fumbled the ball seven times (recovering 5); and scored touchdowns on only 2 of 9 red zone trips into the red zone. It's a case of strength on strength with Purdue wanting/needing to pass the ball, but the Horned Frogs' secondary being the best part of their defense. The Golden Lions used two quarterbacks, completed less than half of their passes, on 4.1 ypa. Purdue knew their run game would suffer, but they've been the worst run offense in the Big Ten, at just 2.7 ypc, while running the ball less than any team. Purdue might not mind being one dimensional, but TCU is a tough team to do that against. TCU's passing game was supposed to take a big step forward with the addition of Kansas State transfer Alex Delton, but he was horrible in the opener. True freshman Max Duggan, the crown jewel of their 2019, who chose them over Notre Dame, came in and played really well, giving us a good old fashioned quarterback controversy. Patterson can't afford to wait, because the he cannot afford to waste what talent he has at wideout. Jalen Reagor was the sure thing, as good as any receiver in the Big XII, but the question of who was going to compliment him was answered resoundingly by senior TreVontae Hights, who had an 8 catch, 108 yard breakout, after TOTALLING 6 receptions in his first three years combined. If Sindelar is a no go, this pick changes, because the Boilermakers have no run game, and TCU's secondary is too good to run Brohm's offense in your debut against, but between two teams that had very sloppy Week 1s, I've only seen Purdue put together a strong performance, and I feel better about them playing a clean game at home than I do about TCU travelling to play under the lights. |