Purdue vs. Illinois Confidence Meter: Will the Cannon Return to West Lafayette?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The calendar has turned to October, and Saturday's game against Illinois has only grown in importance for Purdue. It's an opportunity for Barry Odom's team to finally show that it has made significant strides from last season and get a long-awaited tally in the win column.

Illinois has won the last two meetings against Purdue, but this is a team that has encountered some early struggles of its own through the first four weeks. The Illini are hoping that a win over the Boilermakers can change the trajectory of the team moving forward.

Saturday's game should be entertaining and fun, at least if you're a fan of offense. How much confidence do we have that Purdue can leave Champaign with a win and finally celebrate a Big Ten victory for the first time under Odom?

Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver Deion Burks (4) holds the Purdue Cannon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Nick Arvin, Writer

Every game is a must-win when you’re not winning games, and that couldn’t be more true for Purdue. The Boilermakers have to get this one against Illinois to avoid spiraling for the third straight year. The good news for Boiler fans is that Purdue has played the Illini pretty well over the last couple of years, all things considered.

If you like offense, this will be the game for you. Both of these defenses have been absolutely horrific through their first four games of the season, with Illinois already making a change at defensive coordinator. It feels like Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane is staring down the same fate, so it’s key that the Boilers hold their own defensively.

Ultimately, I expect a great game from Ryan Browne and a shootout, but I think Purdue falls short once again. Hopefully I’m wrong, but this team hasn’t proved to me that it’s capable of winning a game like this.

Score Prediction: Illinois 45, Purdue 35
Confidence meter: 3/10

Dustin Schutte, publisher

Neither team is off to the start they had hoped, which puts an even greater emphasis on Saturday's showdown in Champaign. As Nick already mentioned, both defenses have been awful through the first four games, so I expect nothing short of a shootout at Memorial Stadium.

To me, there is a simple formula to Purdue's success: Will the Boilers get some stops defensively? This is a team that is allowing more than 40 points per game to its last three opponents (Wake Forest, UCLA and Notre Dame). The defense needs to either get stops on third downs or create turnovers to give Browne and the Boiler offense more opportunities.

While Purdue is a better football team than it was last year, it hasn't proven anything defensively. It also hasn't closed out a game. So, I think the Boilermakers have a good shot to get a victory in Champaign, but I think they'll come up just short to the Fighting Illini.

Score prediction: Illinois 38, Purdue 34
Confidence meter: 4/10

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