Originally Posted by
Serbone
3-4, + 1.8* (6.3* swing on the last second Ohio TD against Utah State hurt, BAD)
3* Purdue -2
Motivation is again, not simple: 7-5 Western Michigan will be pumped to play a Big 10 BCS team, and you would think that would be “it”. And they won their last two. But at second glance, 6-6 Purdue won 2 of it's last 3 to get bowl eligibility and they are pumped, talking about getting back to the glory days, plus 4days ago they just renewed coach Hope's contract until 2016. The players KNOW that he will be there; it will be buinsses first, not an attractive warm weather vacation bowl trip. This ain't Hawaii. Hope is getting them into their first bowl game in awhile so he is building on something and will push the players for a win. 7-6 and a bowl victory is so much better than 6-7 and a loss to a MAC team. And WM players, in their heart, know if their coach is successful he will move on to a better program, maybe not next year, but the next. It is the nature of the MAC. I give the edge to Purdue. They will not take WM lightly. If it was a year in and year out bowl team from the Big 10 like, say Iowa, they would be disapointed playing goddam WM. Much different.
Weather… it is indoors. This favors Western Michigan, they throw almost exclusively, very little emphasis on their running game. Long passes and touch passes in a dome will be very accurate if QB Carder is “on”. He is probable with a shoulder problem but should be OK. Hope not. But "indoors" can also help the so-so Purdue passing game hit a few long passes against one on one coverage... that might not usually be realistic... when WM loads the box against the run.
Artificial turf favors Western Michigan a bit, their home field and a lot of away games were on AT. Purdue was on natural turf most of the time, but they they played 3 games on the crap @ Rice, @ Wisconsin, and @ Indiana so it won’t be quite as big of a factor as it was with NC, had played all 12 on NT.
Closest team? Western Michigan is a bit closer to Detroit than Purdue, but not significantly so. I do not know for a fact but I doubt either team will have a huge following to support the team. (yesterday’s game was a disgrace, the stands were empty)
Strength of schedule favors Purdue, BIG, # 62 to # 101. This is Sagarin, but IMO there is a bigger gap than this indicates. Purdue got pounded @ ND, lost by 6 @ Penn State, beat Illinois by 7, lost by 24 @ Michigan, were blown out @ Wisconsin, beat Ohio State by 3 and lost to Iowa by 10. WM was pounded by Michigan, lost by 3 @ Illinois, were crushed @ NI by 29, and lost by 3 @ Toledo. There were injury and timing issues for both teams, but overall you can see a clear advantage schedule wise to Purdue against bowl caliber teams.The Big 10 is superior to The MAC. There is almost NO defense in the MAC for the most part other than, say, Temple and Ohio. MAC can get some good skill players so there are a lot of points, but no "D" athletes at all. So WM was 0-4 against bowl teams, Purdue 2-5. The MAC has lost the last two in this bowl ATS, Ohio to CUSA Marshall and Toledo to Sun Belt Fla Int, both were close games. This is against The Big 10.
WM offense is all passing, I think one of THE most one dimensional in D-1. QB Carder is very good, very smart, and could start for a lot of Big 10 schools, and WR Jordan White is a star. Indoors and on AT it should be favorable, but with several weeks to prepare, and Big 10 athletes to execute the plan, I think Purdue will hold its own. I think WM is a bit vulnerable to a good pass rush, even in the MAC Carder took some hits for sacks and turnovers, which changed field position and possession. They cannot afford that here. A lot of the time, though, Purdue will drop in coverage, nickel and dime packages, even 3-8, their DB's are solid. Purdue actually is considered to have a good pass defense. On “O” is Purdue is balanced but likes to run first, is missing its # 1 back but # 2 back Shavers is a decent player and they have plenty of ball carriers and ways to run the ball. Purdue is good at run blocking (a bit weak at pass blocking but some of that was while being behind against the likes of Wisky, Michigan, etc) and WM run defense is very poor, ranked # 107, you have to think Purdue will successfully control the ball and keep WM off the field. WM allowed 300+ running yards @ Illinois. Purdue has some athletic receivers so they can throw deep here and there to keep WM honest.
Pudue is a small favorite at a neutral site... motivation favors Purdue when you combine it with their stronger SOS. I like a small favorite with a HUGE running advantage in these bowls. The Purdue “D” should be able to adjust to a one dimensional passing game better than WM will be able to do anything to stop a run first Purdue"O", it could not stop the run all year.
(Well, a couple of last minute suspensions... hurts Purdue "D" a bit!)
(All will be 1* - 5* for all bowls except one or possibly two games; play 2* as your usual one unit solid play, there will be one or possibly two 10* later in the bowl season, pending weather, injuries, other developments)