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More than 105,000 sets of eyes will be watching No. 11 Ohio State on Saturday to see how the Buckeyes react to a massive dollop of adversity.
Losing their first game of the season, and losing two top players on defense, has left the Buckeyes susceptible and fragile as they take the field against another team that knows a thing or two about hard times in Purdue.
''I think you'll see a good demonstration of our level of maturity and leadership,'' Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. ''I have confidence we have the right kind of people.''
Ohio State fans aren't so sure, though. On call-in shows and web bulletin boards they have questioned the backbone of quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Tressel's ability to put together a solid game plan and the Buckeyes' talent and will.
A lot has changed in seven days.
Just a week ago, Ohio State (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) was riding high. Then came a 31-18 setback at Wisconsin, when the Buckeyes lost leading tackler Ross Homan and nickel back Christian Bryant to injuries. Just a couple of weeks ago, Tyler Moeller, who was ahead of Bryant on the depth chart, tore a chest muscle and will miss the rest of the season.
No one could blame Purdue for not being all that sympathetic.
After all, the Boilermakers (4-2, 2-0) have already lost front-line players at quarterback (Robert Marve), tailback (Keith Smith) and wide receiver (Keith Smith), each with a torn ACL, not to mention several other members of the two-deep roster.
''Purdue doesn't really care about our adversities,'' Tressel said. ''They've dealt with their own.''
More than dealt with them, the Boilermakers have risen above them.
''We've had some rough sledding along the way as well as injuries to key players,'' coach Danny Hope said. ''But the things we've focused on and things we were hanging our hat on, we've been on task all along.''
The Boilermakers have won four of their last five games this season and their last three Big Ten road games, dating to last season.
The injuries caused Hope and his players to re-commit to the running game. Suddenly, it's become a surprising strong point. They lead the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 231 yards a game. Hope credits facing that running game every day in practice for also improving Purdue's defense, which leads the conference in rushing defense, permitting just 75 yards a game.
A year ago, the Boilermakers came into the game against the seventh-ranked Buckeyes having won just one of their first six games. Yet they hung a 26-18 upset on them.
The linchpin of that defense, Ryan Kerrigan, believes walking into Ohio Stadium will be like sitting on top of a hornets nest.
''Certainly, they'll probably be a little more angry because they lost last week,'' the defensive end said. ''They'll certainly remember last year's game.''
It remains to be seen if Ohio State is stuck in a state of mourning after its recent loss.
''We'd like to be in a position where we control our own destiny, but at this point there's nothing else you can do but keep on moving forward,'' wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. ''Instead of looking at the big picture, we've got to look at one game at a time.''
Fullback Zach Boren was asked this week what he could say to reassure Ohio State's fans that things will be OK.
''Not many fans know this, but this is a really close football team. It's a lot closer than the team was last year,'' he said. ''We know we let one get by us, but we're all on the same page now. We're all fighting for the same goal, to go out and win every game from here on out.''
Tressel said he can't judge his players psyche until he sees them in action.
''I would imagine there are some guys who are down, there are some guys who have forgotten it,'' he said of the Wisconsin defeat. ''I don't know that you can really test the attitude of the whole (team) until it's out there again.''
