Purdue at Indiana Odds

Written by Kyle Hunter

The rivalry between Purdue and Indiana may not be as big as some on the national level, but inside the state of Indiana this is a pretty serious deal. Each year these two teams clash for the Old Oaken Bucket trophy. Purdue has won the trophy 55 times compared to Indiana’s 26 times. On paper it would appear that this is a game where both teams don’t have a lot to play for, but that is definitely not the case in this game!

The Purdue Boilermakers are probably one of the best 4-7 football teams in the nation. At the very least they have more talent than most teams with a 4-7 record. The team has shown flashes of brilliance, but turnovers have haunted them for the entire season and they have lost several games they shouldn’t have because of that. Joey Elliot does a good job running the offense for Purdue, spreading the field and finding his best receivers often. Keith Smith and Aaron Valentin are the two top targets for Elliot, Valentin has 7 touchdowns on the year and Smith has 86 catches already on the season. In the backfield Ralph Bolden has done a solid job running the football for the Boilers, averaging 4.7 yards per carry as a sophomore. The Purdue defense isn’t great, but they have been victimized by the offense putting them out there on a short field too often because of the numerous turnovers. The defense is giving up 30 points per game, but just 369 yards per game.

The Indiana Hoosiers were expected to be near the bottom of the Big 10 and they are, but they have been pretty competitive this season. This team has certainly not quit on the season at all. Ben Chapell has done a solid job at quarterback, though he has turned the ball over a little too often. Tandon Doss has become a very nice play maker on the outside for the Hoosiers. Doss has 73 receptions and 5 touchdowns on the season. The running game of Indiana isn’t great, but they have depth at the running back spot with five players with at least 33 carries this season so far. The Indiana defense has been below average this year, giving up 29 points per game and 409 total yards per game.

The college football betting lines show Purdue as a 3 point favorite in this in-state battle. The posted total has been set at 58.5 points. The home team is 9-2 against the spread in the last 11 games between these two teams. The under is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings.

Both offenses should be able to move the ball fairly easily in this one, but it could very well come down to who wins the turnover battle. I think Purdue has a little more talent overall, but the home field advantage and the rivalry will definitely fuel Indiana. This game should stay close throughout and the defense that makes a big play could put their team over the top.

Comments

Got something to say?