Indiana should leave no doubt and steamroll Purdue on Saturday

After last Saturday's loss at Ohio State, the once impossible dream of the college football playoffs went from being secured to being in doubt. However varying results from the rest of the country have paved a clear path for the Indiana Hoosiers, simply win against rival Purdue in Bloomington and they should be in.

The Purdue Boilermakers don't appear to be a threat on paper but the beaten-down 1-10 team from West Lafayette would love to end their season on a high note. Last week against Michigan State, Purdue QB Hudson Card had a season-high 342 yards and should've had a 100 more if not for drops by his pass catchers in adverse weather.

Card picked apart Michigan State's zone coverage, finding constant holes to exploit. Purdue found tremendous success running crossing routes so expect a lot of that on offense. Purdue's defense came up huge in the second half, leaving the Spartans scoreless. For Purdue head coach Ryan Walters, this game is personal. He has expressed how the failures of his tenure have bled over to his home life, affecting his kids so one must presume he's coming for blood.

Indiana needs to stick to the fundamentals, control the line of scrimmage, and pound the rock. The only way the Hoosiers lose is if they give the game away. The problem is that Purdue is ready to pounce. To find victory, the conservative route seems the most likely way to get there.

According to the oddsmakers at the FanDuel.com gambling website, Indiana is a 29.5-point favorite in the Old Oaken Bucket showdown. The over/under is 56.5 points.