Betting the Purdue Boilermakers 2023 Win Total

Vaughn Dalzell breaks down why the Purdue Boilermakers O/U 5.5 Wins is one of the best bets in the College Football futures market for the 2023 season.

Purdue Boilermakers O/U 5.5 Wins

Purdue enters the 2023 season with a new head coach, coordinators, quarterback, and identity as the Big Ten looks towards its final season before adding four new members next year via the Pac-12.

Purdue’s new head coach is Ryan Walters, who was the defensive coordinator at Illinois over the past two seasons and at Missouri before that (2016-20). Walters plans to shift Purdue into a defensive team, and that will take time as the Boilermakers were known as a run-and-gun offensively-minded squad under Jeff Brohm and previous coaches.

As a matter of fact, Purdue hasn’t hired a defensive coordinator as head coach since 1982, so Graham Harrell will have his hands full as the new Offensive Coordinator for Purdue while Walters focuses on building a dominant defense and new culture.

Hudson Card will have large shoes to fill at quarterback coming over as a Texas transfer after Aidan O’Connell was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Card recorded 741 passing yards, six touchdowns, and one interception over three starts for the Texas Longhorns against UTSA, Texas Tech, and West Virginia, plus a 14-of-22 relief effort versus Alabama in a 20-19 loss.

Glancing over Purdue’s schedule, the Boilermakers’ first two months of the season feature three wins tops, in my opinion.

Throughout September and October, Purdue hosts Fresno State (2022 MWC Champ), Syracuse, Wisconsin (No. 19), Illinois, and Ohio State (No. 3).

Of those five home games, Purdue is the favorite versus Fresno State in Week 1 and a favorite against Syracuse, but underdogs in the other three (Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois). I expect one win there, but maybe two.

On the road, Purdue goes to Michigan (No. 2), Virginia Tech, Iowa (No. 25), Northwestern, and Nebraska.

Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Iowa are favorites against Purdue in those road matchups, while Nebraska and Northwestern will be short home underdogs to a pick-em.

In the final month of the regular season, November, Purdue plays at Michigan and hosts Minnesota before securing two likely wins against Northwestern and Indiana.

If Purdue wins the final two contests of the season against Northwestern and Indiana, then the Boilermakers will have to win at least four games versus either of these nine teams: Fresno State, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan, and Minnesota.

On the entire season, Purdue will be favorites of at least three points versus Fresno State, Syracuse, Northwestern, and Indiana. In the other eight games, Purdue will be an underdog or favorite of -2.5 or less, which seems fit.

I grabbed the Boilermakers Under 5.5 Wins at -165 odds and would go down to Under 4.5 Wins for +100 or better.

This Boilermakers team has 11 starters back and with the Big Ten being so deep and improving ahead of the Pac-12 merge, Purdue’s culture shifts under a new head coach, new quarterback, and defense is all that more difficult.

Pick: Purdue Under 5.5 Wins (Risk 2u)

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