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ESPN’s FPI predicts outcome of Purdue-Minnesota B1G West battle
By Paul Harvey
Published:
ESPN’s FPI is projecting the Week 5 slate of college football games, and the B1G West battle between Purdue and Minnesota is of particular interest.
The two teams have taken different routes coming out of the gate for 2022 with PJ Fleck’s Minnesota squad off to a dominant 4-0 start to the season. After cruising in nonconference play, the Gophers steamrolled Michigan State on the road 34-7.
By contrast, Purdue has struggled at times and enters the game with a 2-2 record. The Boilermakers let a lead slip away in Week 1 against Penn State before losing another late lead in a loss to Syracuse.
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Entering Week 5, Purdue is also juggling the injury status of Aidan O’Connell. The star quarterback was held out of the Week 4 game against FAU, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be cleared to suit up against the Gophers.
Minnesota also is dealing with a season-ending injury to Chris Autman-Bell. The star receiver was injured in Week 3 and will miss the rest of the season, but QB Tanner Morgan and the offense showed an ability to spread the ball around against the Spartans.
Heading into the matchup, ESPN’s Football Power Index sees one heavy favorite for the matchup. According to the model, Minnesota is given an 80.1% chance of getting the win at home.
We’ll see if Minnesota’s dominant start continues or if Purdue can pull of an upset to get on track.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.