A a week ago, it looked like a good chance to end nearly 30 years of futility at Notre Dame. Today, Purdue's upcoming trip to South Bend doesn't look as promising.

With their 22-0 dismantling of Maryland last week, the Fighting Irish, who had been expected to be in a transition year under new coach Tyrone Willingham, made a loud statement that they intend to speed up the transition.

And that means that the Boilermakers, who have lost 12 straight under the Golden Dome since 1974, will need to look sharp if they intend to prevail over the Irish.

Independents' Day

July 4 may be Independence Day. But August 31 was Independents' Day. On the first full Saturday of the college football season, Notre Dame welcomed new coach Tyrone Willingham to South Bend with a romp past Maryland. Connecticut scared the daylights out of Boston College before losing. Troy State made Nebraska look mortal before coming up short. But no member of the dwindling group of Division I-A independents had a more emotional opener than Navy. The Midshipmen, who had not won since their final game of 2000, went down to Dallas and defeated SMU 38-7. Afterward, they sang, "Anchors Aweigh" in their lockerroom and proudly counted to 38, pumping their fists in triumph. They also received heart-felt congratulations from Navy secretary Gordon England. At a time when the nation is taking more interest in its military, Navy had lost 20 of their last 21 games. But it had not lost its pride. Credit for what shows the promise of being a solid turnaround goes largely to new coach Paul Johnson, who had been Navy's offensive coordinator in 1995-96 before coaching Division I-AA powerhouse Georgia Southern. "I'm happy for our players," Johnson said. "After what they had to endure last season, I can only imagine how good this feels." -- Herb Gould

For Purdue coach Joe Tiller, there's more on the line than just a win in South Bend. This is about his program as well.

Tiller knows about turning around a program. When he came to West Lafayette in 1997, the Boilermakers were an uninspired group that had had only one winning season in 12 years. The easy-going Tiller fashioned a high-powered offense that has propelled Purdue to five bowl trips in five seasons.

But last year, they wound up 6-6 while adjusting to life after Drew Brees. It was not an easy transition. By season's end, heir apparent Brandon Hance had lost the quarterback job to true freshman Kyle Orton. And defense, rather than offense, had become the Boilermakers' strong suit.

Now they go to South Bend with a chance to make a statement about Tiller's ability to retool his offense, and a chance to make a statement about their intentions for this season in a Big Ten that figures to burly, but wide-open.

Opinions vary widely. Some think Purdue can finish near the top of the conference. Others foresee a slip to the nether regions of the league, which is an increasingly difficult conference in which to win. The Big Ten might not have national-championship contenders, but it abounds with programs that will beat you on Saturday if you aren't careful.

There was nothing wrong with Purdue's 51-10 romp past Division I-AA Illinois State Saturday, but the trip to Notre Dame Saturday figures to give true insight into where the Boilers are headed.

"It was nice to win a game, but we jump out of the frying pan and into the fire this week, because we play a very good Notre Dame team," Tiller said.

Of course, the same is true for the Irish, who beat a Maryland team that had lost many of the players that helped it over achieve its way last season into a BCS bowl. How good are the Irish? They'll find out in the Big Ten phase of their schedule, which also includes Michigan and Michigan State the next three weeks.

The trouble is, Notre Dame has a leg up on the Boilermakers when it comes to getting ready to play. Where Willingham and his staff can draw upon hours of tape on Tiller's spread offense, if Purdue wants to see how the new Irish coaches use their personnel, the Maryland game is the only source.

"If you're in the middle of a season, you have five games to study and you can develop tendencies that would help you," Tiller said. "With only one game having been played, what we're doing is wearing out the Maryland tape. We don't have much choice. We watch that until we're blue in the face so our guys can have a better idea of what to expect. If they add more to their system, which is not uncommon, we'll have to react. That's our message?to be alert and react to what you see in front of you."

The advantages don't all belong to the Irish, of course. When Purdue steps into storied Notre Dame Stadium Saturday, it will have the benefit of lining up players who have been playing within the same system since they arrived on a college campus, and players who have been recruited and tutored by their current coaches for years.

And given the encouraging start Willingham has gotten off to at Notre Dame, Purdue might have to wait a long time before it gets a better chance to end its losing streak in South Bend.

The Irish's opening dominance over Maryland was heart-warming stuff. But this is different. This is Purdue, a program that has established that it's not a flash a pan like the Terrapins.

Or has it? Saturday will give an indication.

Around the Big Ten

Illinois
Illinois coach Ron Turner said Jon Beutjer doesn't know the offense well enough to be considered for the starting job. That means Dustin Ward is Illinois' only option at quarterback even though Beutjer did some good things in relief of Ward at the end of Illinois' 33-20 upset loss to Missouri. ... The Illini face a tough test this week, when they become the first Big Ten team to travel to Southern Miss.

Indiana
New Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo, who knows there is trouble ahead, didn't attach too much importance to the Hoosiers' come-from-behind 25-17 victory over William & Mary, which had led 14-10 at the half. But he wasn't throwing it back, either. "You have to start somewhere," DiNardo said after IU made four turnovers and managed just 268 yards of offense against its Division I-AA opponent.

Iowa
The Hawkeyes, who travel to Miami of Ohio Saturday, know they'll face tougher opponents than Akron from here on out. But they were pleased with the way they took care of business in a 57-21 rout of the Zips Saturday. Their 37-0 lead after the opening period set a school record for most points in a quarter. ... Running back Fred Russell, filling in for the injured Aaron Greving (sprained ankle), rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Before Saturday, the 5-8, 185-pound junior had rushed for 141 yards in his college career. Sophomore Jermelle Lewis, in his Iowa debut, added 123 yards and two touchdowns as the piled up 376 rushing yards. ... coach Kirk Ferentz said he wants to see how Greving's ankle progresses this week before making a decision on his status.

Michigan
The Wolverines, who never seem to lack for controversial calls, wasted no time being involved in one this season. On fourth down with 32 seconds left, they kept their game-winning field-goal drive alive when an apparent incomplete pass was ruled a catch and a fumble, which was recovered by Michigan, which went on to beat Washington 31-29. Last year, a time keeping controversy allowed Michigan State to upset the Wolverines. Two years ago, they appeared beaten at Illinois, but two controversial fumble calls went their way, and they pulled out a victory.

Michigan State
Quarterback Jeff Smoker and receiver Charles Rogers are the headliners, but their supporting cast turned it up in the Spartans' 56-7 romp past Eastern Michigan. Leading the way were tailback Dawan Moss (12 carries for 136 yards), a converted fullback who's trying to fill the considerable shoes of T.J. Duckett, and backups Jaren Hayes and David Richard. The trio combined for 256 rushing yards and four touchdowns in the rout.

Minnesota
The NFL Vikings aren't the only Minnesota team that has known tragedy recently. The Gophers, who share a Metrodome home with the Vikings, are mourning the shooting death of defensive end Brandon Hall. The 6-5, 270-pound freshman was killed in downtown Minneapolis while celebrating his college debut in the Gophers' 42-0 victory over Southwest Texas State.

Northwestern
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Basanez will start this week's home opener against Texas Christian in place of sophomore Tony Stauss, who struggled so much in his first college start that coach Randy Walker pulled him 4½ minutes before halftime of NU's disappointing 52-3 blowout loss at Air Force. ... Middle linebacker Pat Durr will be sidelined at least six weeks with a knee injury sustained at Air Force.

Ohio State
With the Buckeyes playing 13 games, the longest regular season in school history, coach Jim Tressel was unconcerned about the potential for lost momentum due to the open date between its opening 45-21 victory over Texas Tech and this week's first-ever meeting with Kent State. "The schedule is the schedule, and we knew what it was before we knew whether we'd have momentum or not." ... The Pigskin Classic meeting with Texas Tech drew 100,037, but it was not a sellout. It was the Buckeyes' first non-sellout at home since the 1997 season opener with Wyoming. ... Redshirt freshman running back JaJa Riley, who underwent an appendectomy early last month, has returned to practice.

Penn State
Quarterback Zack Mills had an encouraging performance in the Nittany Lions' 27-24 victory over UCF, throwing 194 yards and two touchdowns. But the defense allowed two late touchdowns, raising concerns about a unit that's going to face more serious tests in conference play.

Purdue
The availability of weak-side linebacker Landon Johnson (dislocated left shoulder), free safety Stuart Schweigert (knee sprain) and wide receiver Taylor Stubblefield (fractured skull) is uncertain for Saturday's trip to Notre Dame, coach Joe Tiller said. All three would be starters if healthy. Only Johnson played in Purdue's 51-10 opening victory over Illinois State.

Wisconsin
The Badgers defense, which had 21 takeaways in 12 games last season, already has picked up nine (five fumble recoveries, four interceptions) in two games. Being more aggressive on defense was a point of emphasis for coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who's determined to avoid a repeat of last season, when Wisconsin finished 10th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (28.8 points a game).

Around the Independents
Connecticut goes into its home opener against Georgia Tech Saturday brimming with determination. A 33-point underdog last week, they led Boston College 16-10 at the half before losing 24-16. "It's kind of bittersweet, UConn coach Randy Edsall said. "We're in this to win." ... Navy, which was 0-10 last year, is understandably excited about junior quarterback Craig Candeto, who ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns in the first half of Navy's 38-7 upset win at SMU. It was Navy's first win since it beat Army on Dec. 2, 2000. ... Notre Dame's 22-0 victory over No. 20 Maryland in the Kickoff Classic was its first shutout of a ranked opponent since it beat No. 5 Alabama 7-0 on Nov. 15, 1980. ... The Notre Dame-Maryland matchup was the 20th and final Kickoff Classic, which no longer carries exempt status and has lost its cachet. "It's unfortunate that this is coming to an end," Irish coach Tyrone Willingham said. "When you have some premier teams kind of kick off the season -- it was a great way to start the season." ... Based on South Florida's rout of Florida Atlantic, the Bulls seem ready for a difficult September that includes trips to Arkansas and Oklahoma after this week's home game with Northern Illinois. "We just kind of played the game," coach Jim Leavitt said. "If we would have attacked it like a frenzy, we really could have done some things." ... Troy State is working on special teams this week after its kicking game let them down in a surprisingly close 31-16 loss at Nebraska. Troy State outgained the Cornhuskers 347-313, but gave up two touchdowns on punt returns and put Nebraska in position for another TD with a weak punt. ... The running game remains troublesome for the pass-oriented Utah State. They used six different ballcarriers on their meager 16 carries, and came up with minus-nine rushing yards in their 23-3 loss to Utah.

Herb Gould covers college football for the Chicago Sun-Times.