Plus, other contenders have emerged after the first two weeks of the season as Indiana and Illinois make their cases and a host of dark horses lurk.

Point spreads are determined by a variety of things -- none of which are actually something as subjective as "respect." That acknowledged, Purdue being a 2.5-point underdog at home on Friday, according to FanDuel Sportsbook,

The Boilermakers have won 38 straight nonconference regular season games, but that streak only has value when it goes up against teams like Alabama.