Minnesota at Purdue Preview
No one in the Big Ten West is unbeateable against anyone else in the Big Ten West. The division known as the most chaotic in the league has saved its best for last, as with three weeks left in the season it is still entirely possible, without any wild and crazy upsets, to have a seven-way tie atop the division at 4-5 when all is said and done. To get there though, Purdue has to beat Minnesota this weekend.
How wild is this division? Unless Iowa wins out the division winner will have at least three loses. The division is just 5-11 against the East, and it has given East bottom feeders Indiana and Michigan State their only league wins. In the event of the wild 7-way tie your division representative in the Big Ten title game would be Nebraska, as the Huskers would be 4-2 against the division, while everyone else would be 3-3 and Illinois would be 2-4.
It is also a division of really, really bad offenses. Iowa has gotten all the headlines there, but they are hardly alone. The entire division is under the Brian Ferentz line of 25 ppg., and six of the even members aren't even in the top 100 nationally in scoring offense.
Wisconsin - 23.6 ppg - 89th (tied with Virginia Tech)
Minnesota - 21.7 ppg - 103rd
Illinois - 21.1 ppg - 107th
Purdue - 20.9 ppg - 108th
Northwestern - 20.1 ppg - 113th
Nebraska - 19.9 ppg - 111th
Iowa - 18.4 ppg - 119th
All this is to say that Purdue absolutely has a chance to win and end its losing streak this season. So many games involving Big Ten West teams become a race to 20 points. That gives the Boilers a chance to reverse the losing trend and start building momentum for 2024.
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