Purdue’s schedule increases uphill climb
Notre Dame, Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State … oh, my! It has been a frightful schedule for Purdue.
We all saw this coming, right? When the season started, Purdue’s schedule was ranked 11th toughest in the nation by ESPN’s Football Power Index. And, the slate of games for the Boilermakers (1-8 overall; 0-6 Big Ten) has lived up to the hype.
Four preseason Top 10 teams appear on the Boilermakers’ schedule. In fact, no other school in the nation plays more Top 10 squads.
“It definitely poses challenges,” said Ryan Walters. “As it stands right now, we will be on pace to play four of the top five teams in the country. (see chart below) But that’s what you get when you play in this conference. You want opportunities to see where you stack and go compete against the best.”
The Boilermakers have not stacked up well. Purdue suffered its worst loss in program history in a 66-7 defeat vs. No. 8 Notre Dame. It was shutout by No. 1 Oregon (35-0) and No. 2 Ohio State (45-0). Add it up, Purdue lost those three games by an aggregate 146-7.
No. 4 Penn State visits this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS. And the Nittany Lions are a 28-point favorite. It is the sixth time the Boilermakers are a double-digit underdog this season. Overall, Purdue has been an underdog eight times by a combined 147 points, including Saturday’s matchup. That’s an average of 18.3 points.
Purdue opponents in current AP Top 8
| Rank Team |
| No. 1 Oregon |
| No. 2 Ohio State |
| No. 4 Penn State |
| No. 5 Indiana |
| No. 8 Notre Dame |
“There aren’t very many teams in the country playing the schedule that we’re playing,” said analyst Jason Simmons. “But, at the same time, we tell our players all the time, ‘Hey, you can’t make excuses.’ And so if we’re not going to let them do it, we can’t do it ourselves. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, coaching and playing in the Big Ten.”
Purdue is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak since opening the season with a 49-0 victory vs. FCS Indiana State. Since that win, Purdue has lost eight in a row by a combined score of 340-113. That comes to an average of 43-14—losing games by nearly 30 points. Purdue’s eight FBS foes have a combined 72-29 record.
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The closest the Boilermakers have come to victory is at Illinois, when they lost 50-49 in OT. Purdue also dropped a 26-20 OT decision vs. Northwestern.
“If you want to go play on Sundays, these are the types of teams and people that you have to go showcase against,” said defensive coordinator Kevin Kane. “That’s always been my message to our guys. Be excited, this is an opportunity for you to go out there and showcase yourself against the best players in the country.”
Purdue will face another rugged menu of games in 2025. There are road games at Michigan, Washington, Notre Dame, while Ohio State and USC visit West Lafayette. There also are visits from Illinois, Indiana and Rutgers, as well as trips to Minnesota and Northwestern.
“Nobody is complaining about playing good teams and elite teams,” said Walters. “If the goal it to be an elite program, that’s how you get there is you’ve got to learn the lessons and you get to see firsthand what it takes, what’s required in order to be in the elite status.”
MORE: First look: Penn State | Three thoughts | First and 10 | Walters has learned a lot in 2024 | The 3-2-1 | Opponent View
