With the Purdue football team taking the field this Friday we are moving up our prediction post to Thursday instead of it’s normal Friday position.
This is a game that Purdue has to win, should win, and will win. I’m confident in saying that. What I wanted to know was how often these two had played and what the average margin of victory was. This will be the 8th meeting between these two teams. Purdue is 7-0 in the prior matchups. The closest game was 2013 when Purdue won just 20-14. Purdue has won the last two matchups (2024 and 2022) by a combined score of 105-0. The averager margin of victory in these 7 games is just over 32 points. If you follow the gambling sites you might know the current spread is around 36 points, more on that below, so it’s roughly in line with the historical trends of this matchup.
Purdue should easily handle the Sycamores and if they don’t, oh boy have we got trouble, and that starts with T and that rhymes with P for Purdue. So let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Things are not so bad that we’re going to lose to Indiana State. The Trees have already played a game, and they lost at home to an FCS team (Southeast Missouri State), who was 4-8 a year ago. Purdue’s schedule is one with very few layups, and this is one of them. In fact, it is the only opponent on the schedule that is currently below Purdue in the S&P+ rankings.
This shouldn’t be close.
Purdue 45, Indiana State 10
There are levels to this, and Indiana State isn’t on Purdue’s level. Ryan Walters put a 49-0 beatdown on the Sycamores in 2024 before embarking on one of the most depressingly terrible seasons in Purdue history.
This is probably a better Indiana State team based on what I saw from them in their 23-21 loss to Southeast Missouri, but I can guarantee this is a better Purdue team. Barry Odom makes a statement in this one and sends the fans home happy on Friday night.
Purdue 56 – Indiana State 7
There’s probably not gonna be a bunch to celebrate this season but a Friday night opener under the lights is party enough for me. Expect some summer long packages, big plays, and a week of Purdue looking like a potentially fun team. Time to show off in Odom’s second go at it. Purdue should dominate from the get go.
Purdue opens the 2026 season with a matchup it should dominate from the start. The Boilermakers have the talent advantage on both sides of the ball and should be able to establish the run while making life difficult for Indiana State’s offense.
I expect Purdue to come out sharp, build a big lead early, and get plenty of young players on the field in the second half.
Prediction: Purdue 45, Indiana State 7
Record: 1-0.. 5 wins to go for a bowl!
Purdue will not lose this game but no confidence should be added to a team by beating up an FCS team. Confidence can certainly be lost though. The Boilermakers need to take the bought victory, get back into the swing of playing weekly games, and start prepping for Wake Forest.
Well, let’s see how year two under Barry Odom gets started. We have been sold an improved team and program in all aspects, and Odom has been very open about how he may have been somewhat duped by Bobinski regarding how bad the support was for the program. It’s never good when the AD who hired you implies he didn’t give the program what it needed to be successful as he is exiting the building.
Odom knows what he is doing and has proven that at Missouri and UNLV. He didn’t suddenly forget how to build a college football program simply because he came to West Lafayette. The question really comes down to whether he gets the support and financial backing he needs to be successful. As he has said continually, Purdue has what it needs in terms of facilities and fan support; what he needs is an athletic department and university to financially support the program within reason (we don’t need to become UCLA or Rutgers).
Browne has largely taken a step forward from a developmental standpoint, and he has better weapons around him. The story has been about Purdue’s offensive line for the better part of a decade—specifically how that position group tended to be full of players who probably weren’t good enough to start or even play in the Big Ten. That isn’t the case this season… finally.
This season on the offensive side of the ball, Purdue is going to be led by a trio of running backs that are some of the better backs they have had from a pure ability and skill standpoint. Although freshman Izaiah Wright brings something different to the running back room, Fame Ijeboi, Jerrick Gibson, and Antonio Harris are all capable of making big runs behind that improved offensive line. Fame will get the first crack as the primary back and the transfer from Minnesota is likely the best running back Purdue has had since Tyrone Tracy, Jr.
Purdue has a stud at linebacker in Charles Correa, along with a defensive backfield that shouldn’t give up big play after big play. The main question on that side of the ball is going to be finding players along the defensive line who can put pressure on the quarterback and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. To do that, Purdue will look to CJ Madden and a slew of other players
I would have rather seen a mid-level MAC or Sun Belt team in Week 1 to get a better read on what Purdue has, but there will still be ways to make that determination. How is the execution? Does Purdue appear to play fast? Will they play mistake-free? Do they make plays when they present themselves? That’s what I will be looking for most.
Power conference teams, even when they aren’t good, should NEVER lose to an FCS opponent. I know that things happen (isn’t that right, Michigan… and Iowa… and Northwestern… and Minnesota… and Washington… and Indiana… and Penn State?), but this shouldn’t be one of those cases. Purdue is better at every position and that should easily lead to a convincing victory. Heck, Purdue even just named former Sycamore Jude McCoskey as a captain.
This Purdue team is going to have at least 13 transfers starting this season and while that typically means a lot of difficulties adjusting, Purdue is rebuilding something from the ground up. That many new faces can’t be a bad thing with how bad they have been the last three years and Purdue should look like a much-improved team overall.
Purdue is a big favorite in this game and the fact that it appears Odom is placing emphasis on it to springboard into a solid season shouldn’t be overlooked. Can the Boilers really cover the 36.5 point spread located on FanDuel? I think that’s a big ask for a program that is still trying to not only figure out to win but to play a complete game. I would, however, be confident in taking the over of 56.5 points though.