Make or Break

Tomorrow's (or today's, depending on the time zone), game at Northwestern is a game that will define the rest of the season for Purdue fans. Thus far in the season, the Boilermakers had far too many problems in their wins over Northern Colorado and Central Michigan, were a disaster against Notre Dame, blew a game against Oregon (who is from a conference that traditionally plays poorly this side of the Rockies) but conversely, learned to play defense against the two top teams in the conference, Ohio State and Penn State.
This game in Evanston will certainly be a challenge, albeit not quite like the one provided by Penn State or Ohio State, but rather a winnable challenge. While the Boilermakers have showed some promise in the last two weeks, most of the Gold and Black faithful recognize this as a classic let down game. Even though this particular squad is nowhere near the one from 2004, this has the hallmarks of the Northwestern game that year, with two very tough match ups leading into the road trip to Evanston. It didn't go so well.
The stakes that year, actually, were less than what they are this year. In 2004, there were still a couple winnable games left on the schedule, and the record was 5-2, which meant only one more win was needed to be bowl eligible. This year, the Boilers come into the game 2-4, needing 4 more wins to be bowl eligible for Joe Tiller's last season at the helm. The only way this appears possible is with wins in their three remaining home games (which won't be a cakewalk, with Minnesota feisty this year and Purdue capable of losing to Michigan no matter how bad they are) and one on the road. Northwestern this week looks to be the only winnable game, with back to back trips to Michigan State and Iowa.
I said in the opening paragraph that this will define what happens for the remainder of the season for Purdue fans. If Purdue wins, it will keep heart rates high, as there will still be something riding on the season, even if it is one last trip to Detroit for the Motor City Bowl for Joe Tiller. If Northwestern wins, it means that the remainder of the season will be enjoyed purely because football is a fun game. Also, Joe Tiller's career could potentially end with a win over Indiana, which would suit me just fine.
Mostly, though, it's just depressing that a game against Northwestern could make or break the season, and really, it could go either way.