GoldandBlack.com Saturday Simulcast: Purdue football schedule deep dive
GoldandBlack.com’s Alan Karpick and Tom Dienhart discuss Purdue football’s 2026 outlook, focusing on the upcoming schedule and program trajectory. They note that while the slate may not include traditional powerhouses like Michigan or Ohio State, it remains challenging with ranked opponents such as Notre Dame, Penn State, Washington, and Iowa. Early non-conference matchups—Indiana State, Wake Forest, and UCLA—are seen as crucial must-win opportunities if Purdue hopes to return to bowl contention. Dienhart emphasizes that starting 3–0 is likely necessary if the Boilermakers are to be bowl-eligible and revive morale after consecutive losing seasons, while Karpick points out the rarity of Purdue being favored in more than one game. The pair also highlights coaching storylines, including Wisconsin’s struggles under Luke Fickell and former Purdue coach Ryan Walters’ return to West Lafayette with Washington.
In the broader view, they explore concerns about long-term competitiveness within the evolving Big Ten landscape. They connect this to the 2029–2030 Big Ten TV contract, warning Purdue must field a consistently competitive team to remain relevant. The conversation closes with a discussion of the NFL draft—acknowledging the absence of Purdue players this year but pointing to some developing talent on the roster.
More: Boiling Over
Purdue Running backs review
One exciting item for Purdue
The arrival of three portal additions has fueled the position with big hopes: Fame Ijeboi (Minnesota), Jerrick Gibson (Texas) and Travis Terrell (Jackson State). And Antonio Harris is a solid holdover. On top of that, Purdue has a promising freshman back in Izaiah Wright.
It’s also good that Cornell Ford is coaching the position, which is his strength. He was miscast as a wideout coach in 2025.
One concern
While this unit has size and depth, as well as experience, there isn’t a lot of elite speed; there rarely is at Purdue.
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Terrell is the quickest and most elusive, but he’s just 5-9, 170 pounds–more of a gadget guy.
Purdue has done OK using backs with pedestrian speed. One example: Devin Mockobee, who left as the school’s No. 4 all-time rusher.
One question
Odom wants to have a physical offense–and that begins with a strong rushing attack. The line added six portal players, with a nod to bringing in size. That, no doubt, should help the running backs, right?
Purdue was No. 14 in the Big Ten (126.4 ypg) in rushing last year; No. 14 in 2024 (115.3 ypg); No. 11 in 2022 (121.0 ypg); No. 14 in 2021 (84.0 ypg); No. 14 in 2020 (81.5 ypg). The only outlier was 2023, when Purdue was No. 3 (169.1 ypg).
You get the picture: Running the ball–especially in short-yardage situations–almost always has been an issue in West Lafayette. Will it really be better?
