2007 BIG TEN PREVIEW: PURDUE

With Big Ten Media Day scheduled for Tuesday, we are holing ourselves up in our apartment until we finish these team-by-team breakdowns. Up next: the "Jekyll and Hyde" Purdue Boilermakers.

2006 Record: 8-6 (5-3 Big Ten)
Projected 2007 Finish: 5th
Returning Starters: 20
Head Coach: Joe Tiller
Best Player: WR Dorien Bryant

5 Reasons for Optimism:
- That's not a misprint: the Boilers return a ridiculous 20 starters
- Finished 2006 ranked 13th in total offense
- QB Curtis Painter threw for almost 4,000 yards as a sophomore
- Bryant could be the best WR in school history, which means nothing
- Tiller promised to cut back on the Quaker Oats commercials

5 Reasons for Pessimism:
- Party's over after two years of not having to play OSU or Michigan
- Like Texas Tech, can't score against real teams (See 12-0 loss to PSU)
- Defense comparable to a wet paper bag, ranking 114th in total defense
- Could be even worse after losing monster DE Anthony Spencer
- A trained mule could do better than K Chris Summers (8-20 FG in '06)

Realety:
Like always, Purdue will clean up against a soft nonconference schedule and weaker Big 10 foes, then land in a mid-tier bowl after laying eggs when they face Big 10 powers


The giant drum is always quiet when it visits The Big House...