Long-time Hoosier State rivals will collide in the 2010 season opener as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play host to the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon.

Purdue is led by second-year head coach Danny Hope, who led the Boilermakers to just one win through the first six games in 2009. Fortunately, the squad enjoyed a late surge and finished 5-7, including 4-4 in Big Ten action. After Saturday’s game, Purdue will face Western Illinois, Ball State and Toledo in succession, so a victory in this opener could very well be a springboard to a 4-0 start.

As for Notre Dame, it is prepared for the first game of the Brian Kelly era. A proven winner, Kelly resurrected both the Central Michigan and Cincinnati programs, and the fact that he led the Bearcats to a pair of BCS games speaks to the ability of the coach. Kelly takes over for Charlie Weis, who failed to elevate the storied Notre Dame program back to an elite level. The 2009 Fighting Irish finished 6-6, including losses in four consecutive games to close out the campaign.

Notre Dame owns a 53-26-2 advantage over Purdue in the all-time series between the teams, including wins in four of the last five meetings. Last season, the Irish rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Boilermakers.

What kind of start can we expect from the Irish this year is too early to tell but early speculation looks to be pretty favorable.  The Boilermakers always play the Irish tough and they are not getting the respect they deserve in the early going. Expect a closer game than the line indicates as the Boilermakers cover the spread.