What are the minimum and maximum eligibility requirements for Purdue Football in 2024?

With the season starting on Saturday, I wanted to give the staff one last chance to publish their profit predictions for the 2024 season. The prompt is below, along with the writers' answers. Who do you think made the best case?

The season starts on Saturday, we know it's going to be a brutal schedule, and despite Ryan Walters working hard to rebuild this roster, the consensus is that Purdue is going to struggle immensely this year. So I need to know a few things from you. What do you think the floor and ceiling is in wins, and what is your actual season prediction for total wins?

Jumbo Heroes:

I struggled with this even though I was the one asking the question. I know there have been a lot of improvements at several positions. I think the secondary could very well be the strength of the defense, which is something Purdue fans don’t get to say very often. There are also a lot of units that I have questions about. The wide receiver position continues to worry me. There is talent there, but it is certainly untested at Purdue. The offensive line will continue to be a question every season until proven otherwise. Purdue also lost a lot of talent in the transfer portal with one particular name going to Texas State, but we don’t have to focus on who isn’t there.

Then there’s the schedule, which is a complete disaster. I think the minimum score for this team is 2-10 and my goodness, that’s depressing. Indiana State is clearly a winner and has enough winnable games on the schedule that Purdue certainly can’t lose 11 in a row, but that’s still a horribly low minimum. But as a maximum? I’d say 7-5 at best. I think everything is going well for Purdue and they’re going to face opponents that are battered and bruised and can pull off surprise wins.

If you look at the Boiler alarm podcast that came out today, you know I predicted a 5-7 season. Part of that was because my co-host Ryan had already picked every other record I was considering and you can't always agree. I think given the schedule, a 5-7 record, and putting up a fight in the toughest games on the schedule, would be a real improvement for this Boilermaker team.

Yes, that is true.

The second year of the Ryan Walters era has the potential to see a team improve on most, if not all, levels and still lose more games than they did the previous season. Such is life when you’re not one of the Big Ten’s perennial powerhouses (+8). Here’s the really brutal part: Purdue gets 6 games at Ross Ade’s this season. 1 is against FCS Indiana State. The other 5 are against Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon, Northwestern, and Penn State. It’s not crazy to think Purdue will go 1-5 at home this season. Believe it or not, Purdue may actually have an easier road schedule this season with games at Oregon State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Indiana. If nothing else, 3 of those teams will be landing new head coaches this season.

For a floor, part of me really wants to say that Purdue could potentially go 1-11 with an FCS win in opening week. The schedule feels so tough. Purdue can't lose 11 games in a row, right?? I think Purdue surprises at least someone in this worst-case scenario and goes 2-10.

Floor: 2-10

Now the ceiling. I'm sorry to say there won't be any 12 ft. McMansions here. Think more like a downtown basement. I have Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, and Ohio State as automatic losses in my head. I understand Notre Dame is a home game, but that just isn't going to happen. That leaves Purdue with 8 coin flips and just like the worst case scenario, there's no way they can win all 8, right? Even in this best case scenario, Purdue extends the losing streak to Wisconsin and goes to 7-5, which I think everyone in old gold and black will happily accept.

Ceiling: 7-5

Obviously I have to choose somewhere between the floor and the ceiling, but I have to go to the floor. There are absolutely no favors on the schedule. Oh, you just played Notre Dame? Let’s have you travel to Corvallis to take on Oregon State. Then we have you go home and take on a Nebraska team with the top-rated QB in the country. Then you have to play in a cursed matchup before taking on a visiting rival. Then comes the gauntlet of 3 top 10 matchups in a 4-game series with a scrappy Northwestern team in between. And to cap it all off, you go on two more visits.

This Purdue team needs to improve to match last season’s record, let alone win more. That’s the nature of the new Big Ten and you have to play the teams in front of you, but that doesn’t leave much hope for wins and losses. I’ll try to be patient as a fan and hope Boiler Nation can do the same.

Prediction: 4-8

Jed:

This is going to be a better team overall, but the wins and losses may not reflect that. The offense should be more explosive with more playmakers on the court. Card should take a big step forward in year two, and I doubt Mockobee will have any trouble holding onto the ball. Jamal Edrine, CJ Madden, and DeNylon Morrisette are an intriguing trio that are unproven at this point.

Theo defense will likely have one of the better defensive backfields in B1G, but the front six could be a big question mark. If they can take a step forward, stay healthy, and find two or three pass rushing threats, they could be good enough to win games.

Will they win enough to qualify for a bowl game? If that happens, Walters will have proven himself to be a capable head coach at this level for a program like Purdue. The grueling schedule likely leaves a 7-5 ceiling and a 2-10 floor, but it’s more likely that Purdue will finish the season at 4-8 with two losses that could have led to a bowl game.

Kyle:

Coach Walters and his staff have worked incredibly hard over the past two offseasons to rebuild the roster after the departure of Jeff Brohm. They have worked particularly hard to fix the offensive and defensive lines and bring in unproven talent from powerhouses like Georgia to play those great athletes at Purdue. But there is no denying that Purdue has one of the toughest schedules in the country. Not only do they play the best teams in the new Big Ten, they also play the majority of solid programs in the middle, like Wisconsin.

The floor could be low, really low, if the coaching staff doesn't go well at the beginning of the season, like maybe only winning two games, Indiana State, and then picking them for the second win. But I'm a little more optimistic than that, I think the ceiling is better than the floor, but I have the ceiling at six wins, and that's if everything goes well. That means Purdue would have to beat Indiana State, IU, Illinois, Oregon State, Michigan State, and most likely Nebraska. I believe Purdue will finish somewhere in the middle of the floor and ceiling and have a 4-8 record this coming season.

Signed:

This is a tricky one.

Purdue has 8 games that I consider wins or reasonable toss ups (spread somewhere within 10 points either way). I think that puts my ceiling at 8 games. Keep in mind that this is the absolute best case scenario, and that's not how football generally works.

The floor is tied to one player, Hudson Card. If, in the worst case scenario, he gets injured on Saturday and ends the season, the floor is 2. The backup QB spot is problematic.

My prediction:

Purdue gets 6 wins and a bowl game. Although the schedule is tough, this team has talent comparable to most Big 10 schools. That wasn't the case last season.

Walters will be better at in-game management in his second year, Card has the weapons on the outside to back up his experience from last season, and the Boilermakers will have one of the most talented secondaries in the conference. It won’t be perfect, but it will be fun.

Garret:

Floor? I hate to say it, but 4-8. The schedule is brutal, but this is a talent-reloaded team with a solid o-line and front seven on defense. I think the ceiling, if everyone stays healthy and a new offense (with bigger receivers on the wings) clicks, could be 8-4. Surprise the world by going 9-3, but taking off my Purdue hat, I don't see many big surprises happening.

Ultimately, if I had to bet, I think the Boilermakers will pull out a 6-6 victory and give Coach Walters his first winning season in his second year at the helm.