Purdue schedule ranking: No. 7 TCU

Congratulations, Purdue. You’re playing one of the toughest non-conference opponents any Big Ten school will face in 2019. The only ones tougher are Notre Dame (Michigan) and Stanford (Northwestern).

TCU is coached by an all-time great in Gary Patterson, who is entering his 19th season in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a tough-as-nails coach who has missed a bowl just two times at TCU and has six conference titles.

This will be the ultimate litmus test for the Boilermakers vs. a rugged Big 12 foe that typically always plays tough defense and has plenty of speed. But Purdue may be catching the Horned Frogs at the right time. They are coming off a 7-6 season and a less-than-inspiring 10-7 OT win vs. Cal in Cheez-It Bowl that left America cracking jokes. Injuries played a big role in the Horned Frogs having a less-than-stellar season.

The offense has proven skill at running back and receiver. Jalen Reagor is a wideout deluxe, while Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua are a strong running back tandem. And the line has four starters back. But a new signal-caller is being broken in. Defense is usually the calling card of this program, but there is re-tooling to be done. Jeff Gladney is a boffo cornerback.

Bottom line: This is a good opportunity for Purdue to measure itself vs. one of the better programs in the nation. The Horned Frogs are famous for their speedy, athletic defenses that often suffocate opponents. How will Purdue’s touted offense perform? If TCU gets good play at quarterback, it could be very difficult to defeat. For what it’s worth: The last time a school from Texas visited Ross-Ade Stadium was in 1998, when Drew Brees led the Boilermakers past Rice, 21-19.

Series: 2-0, Purdue

Last Purdue win: 1970, 15-0 at Purdue

Last TCU win: never

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