Hope for the Hopeless: What if Purdue Does Get Les Miles?

Purdue lost, 49-35, to Iowa on Saturday to fall to 3-3 on the season, with little chance to reach bowl eligibility this year. The score looked better than it was—Iowa put in its second-string when up 42-14. Seemingly, they have to look to other options.

The Boilermakers did what they've done throughout the tenure of coach Darrell Hazell, who is 9-33 in a little over three seasons in West Lafayette, Indiana. Among the hilarity today, Purdue:

• Ran into a ref on a route, negating a probable first down.
• Called a timeout with two seconds before halftime, while down 35-7, only to kneel the ball on the next play.
• Accidentally kneeled the ball inside the one-yard-line, not in the endzone.
• Did this:

The future looks no better. Purdue currently ranks last in the Big Ten in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. The Boilermakers don't have any recruit in the top 25 in the state of Indiana. Teams that do: Clemson, Notre Dame, Missouri, Indiana, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Ball State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio), and Western Michigan.

This is the long way of saying that this team is hopeless and is absolutely going to fire Hazell at some point this season. But is Purdue, as a program, hopeless? Can this team, in a new era of big money college football, possibly compete nationally? This team made Rose Bowls in the past, and it's the alma mater of Drew Brees. But with so much money in the system, the gap between haves and have-nots is widening.

There are no real advantages Purdue enjoys. It's the worst team in its state, and its state (Indiana) isn't particularly talent-rich. So what if the Boilermakers get a proven old coach? At least that could make them interesting. Especially if Purdue lands former LSU coach Les Miles, which is apparently a possibility.

As Purdue marches toward the inevitable conclusion, one name I'm told to keep an eye on there: Les Miles
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) October 15, 2016

It's possible Miles could get a better job than Purdue, but what if he truly does drop status to coach the Boilermakers? Then there's no way to know what to expect.

On the plus-side, Miles is an outstanding recruiter. He brought a top 10 class to LSU this year, and while that's more difficult than bringing a top 10 class to Purdue, he did it while on the hot seat—typically a turn-off for recruits. He also has the brand name that can make the Boilermakers much more relevant in the Big Ten, at least in the media.

Miles struggled on the field with LSU in the past few years, and he largely wasted the talent of star running back Leonard Fournette. Moreover, even Nick Saban probably couldn't make Purdue a perennial Big Ten West contender.

However, the possibility of Miles going to Purdue raises an interesting question: Can a program that seems almost entirely hopeless make ground with an all-star hire? Or are programs like Purdue—without a fan base, and without a head start in this new era of big money—doomed to be perennial failures? Maybe we'll get a chance to find out.