Purdue played the Wildcats hard in Evanston last season. Does that mean a turnaround this year in West Lafayette.
For the past few years Purdue has not been good, but it has had a strange talent for challenging exceptionally good teams on their home fields. In Danny Hope's final year of 2012 it was Notre Dame and Ohio State. In 2013 it was a close 14-0 loss at Michigan State. Last season Purdue played a pair of 10-win teams, Northwestern and Michigan State, right to the end on the road.
If not for a home loss to Iowa last season he Wildcats would have been in the Big Ten Championship game.