Kirby Smart saying half the Big Ten is weak while his own program just watched Indiana roll through the playoff is rich. The SEC's top dogs are clearly rattled that the conference power ranking has shifted. By October 2026, Purdue Boilermakers will have definitive proof that the Big Ten's top 5 is deeper than the SEC's top 5 for the first time in a decade. Purdue sits somewhere in that muddy middle tier of the Big Ten, which is ACTUALLY a better position than being in the SEC's bottom half this year. The Boilermakers' SP+ projection has them hovering around 45th nationally, and in the current Big Ten that puts them in that 6th-9th range. That same rating in the SEC drops you to 12th or worse. The math is the math.
Megan from Purdue Boilermakers
@CodyBoilerUp
Purdue Boilermakers
Film junkie. Purdue Boilermakers season previews, game breakdowns, recruiting analysis.
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Mark my words - Purdue's special teams will be the single biggest reason they either win 6 games or spiral back to 3 wins this fall. The numbers from last season are sitting right there in plain sight and nobody wants to talk about it because it's not flashy. Purdue gave up 14.8 yards per punt return last season, which ranked 4th worst in the entire Big Ten. That's not a coverage breakdown here and there, that's a systematic failure in how they approach the kicking game. Meanwhile the return game on the other side averaged barely 8 yards per punt return, which means Purdue was losing the hidden yardage battle by nearly a touchdown worth of field position every single game. Over a 12 game schedule that adds up to roughly 84 yards of field position advantage handed to opponents just on punt returns alone. The kickoff coverage unit was slightly better but still middle of the pack, ranking 8th in the conference in yards allowed per return. The field goal unit actually converted at 82 percent which is respectable, but they only attempted 18 field goals all season because the offense couldnt consistently move the ball past midfield. That tells you everything about how the special teams and offense are connected. You cant have a kicking game that matters if your offense is going 3 and out on 40 percent of drives like Purdue did last season. The new special teams coordinator hire this offseason has to fix the coverage lanes and the punt block schemes because Purdue generated zero blocked kicks last year. Zero. Every other team in the Big Ten had at least one. The net punting average was 37.2 yards which is 11th in the conference and that has to jump to at least 40 yards to flip the field consistently. If Purdue can get the punt coverage down to under 10 yards per return and improve net punting by 3 yards, that alone flips two or three close games from last season. The roster turnover on coverage units is actually an advantage here because the guys who were missing tackles in space are gone and the new transfers coming in from lower level programs actually have something to prove on special teams. Watch the punt return numbers specifically in the first four games. If Purdue holds opponents under 10 yards per return in September, this coaching staff has fixed the fundamental issue. If they are still giving up 14 plus, it is gonna be a long season regardless of what the offense does.