2024 FB Schedule Analysis
A schedule can make or break a season. Ask any coach.
Purdue’s 2024 slate is filled with challenges and opportunities. This series is a breakdown of what’s ahead for the Boilermakers this fall. Next up: Best chance to be upset.
• Toughest non-conference game: vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 14
• Toughest conference game: at Ohio State, Nov. 9
• Who they don’t play: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington
• Best chance to be upset
• Best chance to pull an upset
Best chance to be upset: vs. Nebraska, Sept. 28
The logic: How many times will Purdue be favored this year? Versus Indiana State, Nebraska, Northwestern, at Illinois, at Indiana? Let’s go with the visit from Nebraska in the Big Ten opener/Homecoming clash on Sept. 28. If Purdue is favored, it figures to be by three points or less.
The history: This has been a good series since the Huskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. Nebraska leads, 6-5, since then. But the Boilermakers have gone 4-2 in the last six meetings and have taken two of the last three in Ross-Ade Stadium. The Huskers won last year in Lincoln, 31-14.
The low down: This shapes up as a big game for two programs each being led by second-year coaches looking to get their teams on track and back into a bowl. Nebraska likes its defense. The offense?
The bottom line: Will Purdue be 2-1 when this game swings around? It better hope so. The most likely scenario: The Boilermakers take down Indiana State and Oregon State and lose to Notre Dame to open the season. A 1-2 record will make an already uphill battle to six wins more taxing. This tilt vs. Nebraska is the ultimate table-setter for Purdue and will go a long way toward establishing the tone and tenor of the season.
