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College football analyst believes Purdue is the team to watch out of B1G West
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It’s only taken two years for Jeff Brohm to heighten the level of expectation in West Lafayette. He inherited the worst program in the B1G after the 2016 season, and now has Purdue in the hunt for a division title this fall.
Heading into the 2019 season, the B1G West is considered to be a division up for grabs. Teams like Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska are the early favorite to claim the title, but Minnesota, Northwestern and Purdue are very much in the mix. And for college football analyst Anthony Herron, the Boilermakers are the most interesting of the bunch.
Everyone seems to be interested in what Scott Frost will do in Year 2 at Nebraska. But Herron believes Purdue in the third year of the Brohm era could a dangerous team in 2019.
“Purdue is really the team, I anticipate, to have higher heights from this year,” Herron said on WJOX’s 3 Man Front show. “I think Purdue is a team who, as we get into the season, folks are going to be talking about, especially remembering what they did towards the end of the season, when they were able to knock off Ohio State at home.
“They’re the team I look to, more so than Nebraska, to see what kind of jump they make as they’re further along in the development of the Jeff Brohm system than Nebraska is just with Scott Frost’s second season.”
Herron pointed to Purdue returning Elijah Sindelar under center, calling him the more talented quarterback option on the roster a season ago. Sindelar was the Game 1 starter for the Boilermakers, but relinquished that role to David Blough early in the year.
Purdue’s recruiting, bringing elite offensive talent to West Lafayette, was also a point of emphasis for Herron and why he believes the Boilers have a shot to win the West.
In Brohm’s first two seasons, Purdue has a 13-13 record and has made back-to-back bowl appearances. The stakes are much higher for the Boilermakers entering Year 3.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB