The Boilermusings column has been on hiatus for a while now, but with the end of the sports year upon us this is as good a time as any to take a look at the overall state of Purdue sports.
The biggest news is that the inevitable is now here. The Era of the Gargantuan Ten is upon us as Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA are inexplicably conference foes now. That brings about a ton of change as we head into 2024-25. in many ways college sports does not feel the same at all. There are some good things. NIL is making sure players are paid at least something from this multi-billion dollar enterpirse, but the transfer portal continues to be the wild west in part because of that. Purdue is lucky to be grandfathered in to one of these mega conferences, keeping the money flowing from these giant TV deals, but the cost of it will still be determined with 11pm weeknight basketball games on the West Coast.
I don't think we have ever seen anything like the changes that are now here, so no one really knows what it will be like. If anything, the shocking Kanon Catchings news could be the first ripple of the new normal.