As this game has a 28.5 point spread, I’ll keep the brutally honest Notre Dame football game preview this week shorter than usual. I have no idea what it actually is they are doing in West Lafayette right now.
It’s not college football. It’s….whatever it is it’s frighteningly bad. Purdue is such a broken program right now, I’m hesitant to even call it college football.
The Fighting Irish will play the Boilermakers for the 86th time in their history, matching Navy for the most games played against a single opponent in Notre Dame’s history. Notre Dame boasts a 57-26-2 series advantage over Purdue, and has defeated the Boilermakers in their last six meetings, dating back to 2008.
The two teams will “battle” (well I don’t expect it to be much of a fight) for the Shillelagh Trophy, and have played each other in every season since 1946.
-TV info: NBC 6:30 PM CST. On-air talent: Mike Mayock, Dan Hicks, Kathryn Tappen. (You should also read my report on why NBC Sports replaced Alex Flanagan with Kathryn Tappen).
-Still no update on the five suspended Notre Dame football players yet. They won’t be needed Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, as the “Shamrock Series” game also serves as an extra bye week for ND this year. About that academic malfeasance, Kelly has guided this program through a ton of PR black eyes. How does he do it? During his regime, there’s been lots of bad press, but Kelly still emerges unscathed from it. This will likely be no different.
-As I predicted, the “Everett Golson for Heisman” propaganda has started. *SMH*
-Bookmakers dropped his Heisman odds from 20-1 to 16-1 this week. Bovada has ND national title odds now at 25-1 instead of 50-1 (h/t Chicago Tribune’s Chris Hine)
-Brian Kelly said in his weekly press conference on Tuesday that the team made 34 mental errors on defense last week. Not bad when you consider they pitched a shut out against Michigan.
-Purdue hasn’t named a starting QB for this week. I would go with Appleby, let the kid get his feet wet. It’s a lost, pointless season for the Boilers anyway. Kelly told the media he will prepare for both signal callers. (per @ChristopherHine) again
-Notre Dame has gained six spots in the Top 25 polls since starting the season at No. 17, following convincing wins over Rice and Michigan, outscoring the two teams by a combined 79-17.
-Purdue football is broken right now. They, along with Illinois and Northwestern, constitute the bottom rung of a league that is at its low point. Illinois, and Iowa for that matter, beat mid-majors last week: Western Kentucky and Ball St. Both did so in hideous fashion as both UI needed late desperation points to close the deal.
-NU hung with a very good mid-major for 3 and a half quarters before NIU beat them decisively. Purdue lost to a mid major. No, they got completely blown out by a mid major (Central Michigan 38-17). That tells you all you need to know.
Here’s a video breaking down all that Purdue needs to fix before the game versus Notre Dame this week:
-The Big Ten as a conference has been the laughingstock of college football this season; with Purdue, Illinois and Northwestern the dregs of a dreadful league. The #B1G was virtually eliminated from a playoff berth before NFL season even kicked off. This past Saturday was one of the darkest days in the league’s history.
-Purdue Coach Darrel Hazell said he will pick one QB, not play multiple signal callers: “No. I just don’t think it’s the best for our football team right now.”
-Hazell on the issues at the position: ” I don’t think there’s a mechanical thing. I talked to — I brought Danny in yesterday, and we went through some of those things and he says, “I just have to do it.” You feel bad because he is struggling a little bit and you want him to get better and he will get better.”
Well, yes. He can’t get worse.
-Purdue’s series with Notre Dame is tied with USC vs. Notre Dame and New Mexico vs. New Mexico State for the fourth-longest uninterrupted non-conference series in the FBS behind Notre Dame and Navy (since 1927), Army and Navy (since 1930) and Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) (1945).
-Utah and BYU have also met every year since 1946, though the two schools were in the same conference for several years. Clemson and South Carolina have the longest uninterrupted series as they have played every year since 1909, but both were in the ACC from 1953 to 1970. Georgia and Georgia Tech have met every season since 1925, but both were in the SEC from 1932 to 1963.
Prediction: Notre Dame football 56, Purdue 0
Paul M. Banks owns and manages The Sports Bank.net, in partnership with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)