The Hoosiers are peaking as the Boilermakers descend into the Big Ten’s basement.
Indiana’s 66-0 win over Purdue to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket was the first matchup between coaches Curt Cignetti and Ryan Walters. Now, as of Sunday, it’ll be the two’s only game between one another.
Purdue Athletics announced it’d be parting ways with Walters one day after the Boilermakers suffered one of the worst losses in program history to finish 1-11 and in the bottom of the Big Ten standings. It was only Walters’ second year in charge in West Lafayette.
Walters was hired two years ago after Jeff Brohm, fresh off a win in the rivalry and Big Ten Championship appearance, elected to return home to Louisville. He managed to breathe life into a program reeling from another botched hire, Darrell Hazell.
Now Purdue finds itself in a similar hole as the one it fell into under Hazell. Can someone dig the Boilermakers out of it again?
Maybe.
Indiana spent a great amount of time mobilizing program infrastructure to present an enticing offer to head coaching candidates when it elected to move on from Tom Allen last season.
When push came to shove, Indiana was able to present its viable current facilities, a robust plan to renovate the program’s weight training area, details on upgrades to Memorial Stadium and, perhaps most importantly, a more than adequate commitment to NIL funding.
That’s what was ultimately able to lure Cignetti away from JMU. A chance to compete at a Big Ten program with improving resources and a willingness to invest.
Compare that to Purdue, which saw some of its more talented players from Walters’ first team depart through the transfer portal to name brands like Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Indiana did not have this problem.
Do not get me wrong, Purdue has plenty of enticing resources. The facilities are up to date, the fan support at Ross Ade Stadium is raucous and there is an established history of passing-led offenses taking down the Big Ten’s titans.
What has yet to be seen is if the NIL resources are there. No solid numbers are reported but it’s understood that, as of right now, Indiana’s NIL resources for both of its basketball programs and the football program outrank those of Purdue.
Purdue will have to show any candidates for the job that it, like Indiana was last year, is committed to winning the way that football programs must in the modern age. And said candidate will have to embrace those resources and use them intelligently.
Otherwise, Purdue could be looking at more years, and bucket games, like this one.
