As far as inheriting jobs go, Ryan Walters could have done a lot worse than Purdue. Walters isn't stepping into a potential hornet's nest, as the Boilermaker support base is usually content with a competitive product that qualifies for bowl games and occasionally delivers the big season. But Jeff Brohm punched above his weight in West Lafayette, and hands off a team that won a crowded Big Ten West a year ago, so the situation at Ross-Ade Stadium isn't like what Deion Sanders is dealing with at Colorado. It's also worth noting that the only reason this job opened in the first place was Brohm getting a call from his alma mater, Louisville, one of the few jobs that could have lured him away. Purdue was also bowl-eligible in four of five non-pandemic seasons under Brohm. The program is hardly in bad shape.

Nonetheless, there is an adjustment phase coming for Walters, who was prominent on the coaching radar after a decorated run as Bret Bielema's coordinator for last year's top-rated defense in the country at Illinois. Graduation losses and transfer portal fluctuations might have been felt a bit more in the offseason at Ross-Ade than at many other schools. Walters, however, hardly sat on his hands after taking over in January, lining up an impressive staff and capturing specific targets from the portal...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Purdue's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big Ten season.

Big Ten preview: Conference winner | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Maryland | Michigan | Michigan State | Minnesota | Nebraska | Northwestern | Ohio State | Penn State | Purdue | Rutgers | Wisconsin

2023 Purdue at a glance

• Last Year: 8-6 SU, 5-9 ATS, 9-5 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 6; Defense 4
• Win Total: 5 (Over Even, Under +120)
  

What do you need to know about Purdue before locking in your Big Ten futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big Ten futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!