Boilers getting some recognition!
After Purdue upset the #2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes yesterday, the Boilermakers have received some recognition being ranked #25 in the country in the new AP Top 25 poll.
The last time Purdue was in the Top 25 of the college football world were the days of Joe Tiller, Curtis Painter, Kory Sheets, and company on September 30th, 2007. Fast-forward 14 years and Purdue is back to being ranked debuting at 25 with room for improvement ahead.
Purdue has now snapped the longest streak amongst Power 5 teams of being unranked, which oddly enough, was Indiana up until 2019.
POLL ALERT: Cincinnati up to No. 2, Purdue snaps AP Top 25 poll drought after beating Iowa; Texas-San Antonio ranked for 1st time.
Full poll presented by @askRegions >> https://t.co/RePYaj3a7h pic.twitter.com/BdfnVMkQaz
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 17, 2021
Before the monumental win in Iowa City, the Boilermakers were struggling and were not on the radar of the AP ballots. Obviously, that changed with Purdue’s dismantling 24-7 win over the Hawkeyes.
Now, this ranking is special for Purdue, but now it is time to do something with it. The next two games against struggling Wisconsin and Nebraska teams are both winnable contests that could push Purdue into the upper echelon of the college football world.
It also sets up potentially special matchups against Michigan State and Ohio State later on this season. This team is now in the running for a Big Ten West title and a possible Rose Bowl run this year, which was unheard of before the year started.
Purdue will defend their ranking at Ross-Ade Stadium next Saturday against Wisconsin who is 3-3 on the season and just 1-2 in conference play. They also have an opportunity to snap a longer streak against the Badgers, who they have not beat since all the way back in October of 2003.