So what are your thoughts for Purdue?

Purdue or not Purdue? That is the question.

That is all. Seriously though for some reason we are favored in Vegas so take that FWIW.

The bar has definitely been lowered. I anticipate another loss. However, I am taking my son and plan on having a good time. I will be cheering like crazy and hoping for the best.

Let's the seniors on this team provide the vocal and mental leadership to pull this team up. It was good to see the Minor is "healthy" and I hope he gets 20 - 25 carries each of the next 3 weeks. I think the bowl game motivation, the seniors wanting to go out on a winning team and hopefully a great home crowd at the Big House help them get the job done. They also may be finding Purdue reeling a bit after they got spanked in Madtown last week. Michigan - 37 Purdue 20

they SHOULD win. hopefully they go all in this game!

Let's secure a bowl and beat those #*$%er's. I've seen this somewhere else, what is it, oh yeah, HOLD ON TO THE DAMN BALL!

I can't help but think about that Minnesota game from last season. We all thought that the team was doomed coming off of a terrible loss to a bad Purdue team, and the very next week we mop the floor with Minnesota on the road. The way Rodriguez has talked about the team not being down after last weekend, I'm thinking that Michigan might play the best football it's played in a month. Something like 31-17 Michigan. If I'm wrong, ugh

Will the team rally around Rodriguez and themselves? Could it be an inspired effort like what we saw against Western, albeit against a better team. Purdue is so hard to read. They lost to NIU at home. They just got shelled at Wisconsin. But ultimately, effort non-withstanding, this gamne will come down to turnovers. Purdue is Michigan-esque in the way that they give the ball away. The only time I watched Purdue was against OSU, and they overcame a few turnovers and had a few more takeaways. Their defense looked good, but then again, Wisconsin. Remember, Purdue almost beat Oregon. Take that as you will. Yes, Oregon's o-line was still gelling, and yes, they just lost an all-american caliber runningback. Still, Purdue almost beat them. And yeah, they did dominate Ohio State too. I want to say that Michigan wins this game, I really do. I just don't know if ND/Iowa Michigan will show up or Illinois/Penn State Michigan will. And if Ohio State/Oregon Purdue or Northern illinois/Wisconsin Purdue shows up. Michigan wins this with a solid game by the defense and a HOLD ON TO THE DAMN BALL offense.

Michigan has a 100% record when I've been in attendance at the Big House. .. And on Saturday I'll be in the Big House.

I am buying pizza after the game to celebrate if M wins

I would love it if this happened on Saturday. Unfortunately, I think Purdue is gonna give UM its best shot. That said I think Michigan can certainly win this game. Purdue is also prone to crazy turnovers, I think the team that wins the turnover battle wins this game.

hope Minor tapes up his ankles high and tight and carries the team to a bowl

At no time this season has this team been so maligned and never before during this season have the players AND coaches come under so much fire. Saturday is the biggest game of the season to this point. A victory Saturday won't quiet the angry mob, they will just say they were supposed to beat Purdue. A loud supportive Big House and a victory Saturday will give all these "young, inexperienced players" some confidence in themselves and trust in each other. Hopefully it will be a springboard to better things for the end of the season. No matter what, I will be there waving my "All In" towel, singing the victors and cheering on the greatest football program in America. A brief speech from a charismatic former player would be great in the lockerroom before the game. GO BLUE!

This is by far the most frightened I have been before a game this year, including the Western and ND games. I'm not scared because of the fact that we might lose. Its more about what a loss would mean, especially if we perform poorly. It would leave me wondering if the team had quit, which is something far worse than losing the last three and not going bowling IMHO. I want to see the team play hard and up to their abilities these last three weeks. We're more than likely going to see everyone's best shot because Purdue needs to win out to become bowl eligible, Wisky really loves to beat us (like everyone else in the Big Ten), and OSU is OSU. So winning all three might not be possible even on this Michigan team's best day, but RR and the boys need to show us all (including themselves) that the program is moving in the right direction going into next season. Back to the original purpose of my post, which was predicting this weekend's outcome, it is a truly tough call. A large part of me sees no way that this team makes a drastic turnaround this far into the season. It would be one thing if the Illinois game was a single blemish on an otherwise solid season. However, with the past month being pretty rough, the data is definitely not skewed in our favor. On the other hand is my always optimistic Michigan fan that just has a feeling the boys will get it together, come out angry, and gut out a victory. And of course, I always side with my optimism. I couldn't make it through the week if I didn't. Michigan-31 Purdue-27

But I agree with the general consensus that it will be close. I would love as much as anyone here to see UM go out and win by fifty, but winning by one point is fine with me at this point. My hopes for the year were dashed with Forcier's injuries, and now I would be satisfied with just getting into a bowl. But I still hope they spring enough surprises against OSU in a couple of weeks to stop the bleeding in "the rivalry."

Purdue is very good at finding offensive yards but they don't always equate to points on the board. The coaches do a good job of attacking the opponents weakness and don't always try to pound the ball through the air or on the ground. Their rushing attack only ranks 73 in the country but UM's 85th ranked rushing defense is very similar in stats to Minnesota's 89th ranked rushing defense who Purdue put up 131 yards on (4.7ypc). Bolden is a hard runner and Elliot their QB is good for 8 or so rushes himself and has only ended 2 games with negative rushing yards. If the line doesn't keep containment he will burn UM. Their passing attack faced their strongest passing defense in week 2 against Oregon (25th passing, 4th efficiency). They ended up putting 281 yards and 2 TDs on the board in what was a shoot out loss (38-36). Elliot will force the occasional pass and has been picked off a total of 13 times. Their receivers Valentin and Smith are good receivers, Smith ranks 25th in D1 in receiving yards. The front 7 has success in the backfield ranking 26th in the country in tackles for loss (same as UM actually), averaging 7 a game and 25th in sacks with about 3 per game. Kerrigan on the Dline and LB Werner are key contributers. Purdue faced strong rushing games in week 2 and 3, giving up some big yards on the ground. Last week they returned to their early season form as they weren't able to stop Wisconsin who was 3 yards short of 300 yards. That pass rush upfront has aided to their 25th ranked passing efficiency defense. The pressure hasn't helped them in turnover margin though which ranks 108th (1 above UM). Their secondary has played the most consistent maybe, only giving up over 200 yards 4 times. I expect UM to continue where Wisconsin left off in the rushing game even with the banged up rb corp. The passing game will be interesting, Purdue has a quality pass rush which has been key to keeping the passing yards down. Some of that success is just the opponents attacking on the ground though. Purdue is willing and able to attack UM's weakest areas on defense. Their receivers are not Floyd or Tate but that UM pass defense last week could make them look just as good. It will be interesting to see how both teams respond this week after tough losses last week. I think the game will be a shootout tbh, with an extra turnover one way deciding the winner. Purdue should not be taken lightly and it doesn't sound like anyone is doing so.

Purdue is a solid passing team, and Valetin is a real threat. Our secondary blows. They'll put up 30 on us at least. I'm currently expecting another shootout, like last year's game. However if Dorrestein is out and with a RS freshman Omameh playing guard, I wonder how the blocking will be. Huyge will be at R/OT from what I understand. Huyge and Dorrestein have been the weaker players on the OL so far this season. Having said that, I think if UM can HOLD ONTO THE DAMN BALL we will probably be ok. Also note to RichRod: No switching to a 3-3-5 this game, m'kay?