Purdue Football 2026 Schedule Outlook and Analysis

The Good

Starting the season with Indiana State should get things up and going, and five of the first seven games are at home. Throw in the date at Indiana, and Purdue doesn't leave the state in three of the final four games.

The Bad

Wake Forest, Notre Dame. They're both home games, but neither one is a sure thing - those are the two non-conference games to go along with the date against Indiana State.

There are only four games against teams that didn't go bowling last year, dates at Indiana, Iowa, Penn State, and Illinois are a problem, and overall, good luck finding games Purdue will be favored in.

What Big Ten Teams Purdue Will Miss

Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Rutgers, USC.

It really, really hurts to not get Michigan State, Nebraska, and Rutgers - those three would at least be in Purdue's range - but there's no complaining about not playing Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, or USC.

Purdue’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: Get hot at home

Purdue might not be better than almost all of the teams on the slate, but if it makes Ross-Ade a nasty place to play, it can pull off enough wins to matter.

The Boilermakers beat Wake Forest, push past Minnesota, stun Washington, and get by Maryland to get in range of a winning season, and they pull off a road upset somewhere, like at UCLA.

Worst Case: September is rough

Purdue will be Indiana State, but it loses to Wake Forest and can't get by UCLA before dealing with Notre Dame and Illinois. It's 1-4 to start, putting the pressure on to win the home dates against Minnesota and Washington - and it struggles.

The worst case? The Boilermakers are out of the bowl picture by November.

Purdue Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 Indiana State
Sept 12 Wake Forest
Sept 19 at UCLA
Sept 26 Notre Dame
Oct 3 at Illinois
Oct 10 Minnesota
Oct 17 Washington
Oct 24 OPEN DATE
Oct 31 at Penn State
Nov 7 Maryland
Nov 14 at Iowa
Nov 21 Wisconsin
Nov 28 at Indiana

Games That Will Decide Purdue’s Season

1. Wake Forest, Sept. 12
It's a winnable home game in Week 2. Get this, be 2-0 going into the trip to Notre Dame. Lose, and good luck getting to six wins.

2. Minnesota, Oct. 10
It should be a fight through September, and October starts at Illinois. To keep hammering this home, Purdue has to win when it gets a chance, and beating the Golden Gophers is a must.

3. at UCLA, Sept. 19
Purdue has to steal a road win somewhere. By far, the UCLA game is the easiest and most promising.