It is time for the battle for the Purdue Cannon, and this one has some moderately high stakes. For the first time in more than 100 years Purdue can take the lead in the head-to-head series. By winning 14 of the last 19 games in the series Purdue has moved into a 44-44-6 tie overall. The last time it held the head-to-head lead was before the 1903 game, which Illinois won 24-0 to make it 5-5-2.
This is a fascinating game because the Illini are coming off of an enormous upset of Wisconsin on Saturday. It was easily the biggest win for Illinois in years, but they are still an embattled team that has struggled a bit.