Bear with me...

I may not finish my Purdue preview on time this week - I've been distracted by the impending release of the results of the bar exam. I can't seem to focus on anything right now. So, to tide you over for this weekend, here is a re-posting of my feelings about Purdue from last year.

*****

In some weird, twisted way, the Purdue week is both the best and worst football week in my eyes.

My wife ex-wife attended Purdue University.

I asbolutely completely totally and without reservation hate, detest, and otherwise abhor Purdue.

In the interests of full disclosure, I attended Indiana University for undergrad, and Notre Dame for law school, which means that I have a deep-seated hatred for Purdue by matriculation.

But I also hate Purdue for the culture that they espouse. As a Hoosier by choice, I take great pride in my state, and I feel like Purdue oozes the kind of tacky, cliched Midwestern silliness that people deride Hoosiers for. Baton twirlers. A ridiculous drum that claims to be the largest in the world, but isn't even close. The general carnival atmosphere surrounding the program. They just emit this aw shucks, look at us silly cowpokes kind of atmosphere that gives the state of Indiana a bad name.

And, if all that wasn't bad enough, they come out with something like this:



If the fact that the cheese-factor of creating comic book covers for every player on the team wasn't bad enough, Purdue decided to make one for the trumpets, too.

The fact of the matter is that Purdue is a carnival sideshow. I wouldn't be surprised to see the bearded lady and the dog-faced boy as co-mascots with Purdue Pete.

And the worst part of it is that the Purdue grads aren't up in arms.

If Notre Dame pulled some stunt like this, I'd be PISSED.

But, the school that has had more astronauts graduate from their prestigious engineering program doesn't ever seem to care. They embrace their comical image so completely that I seriously wonder sometimes whether they even realize that it is comical.

[Editor's note: The following prediction couldn't be further from what I expect this year, but it's nice to dream...]

As for this week's game, I expect a rehash of last year's game, where Notre Dame's offense comes out fast and builds a big lead, and then ND's second team trades scores with Purdue's first team until the clock runs out.

Notre Dame 56
Purdue 34