Alabama? UNLV? Kentucky? Georgia Tech? BYU? Who should Purdue play?
No league schedules better non-conference games than the Big Ten. And Purdue does its part to play quality competition outside the league.
This season, the Boilermakers have games vs. Memphis, Air Force and Boston College. In 2021, Purdue will take on Oregon State, UConn and Notre Dame. Beyond that, games loom vs. the likes of Syracuse Virginia Tech and Fresno State.
While those are interesting FBS foes, here are 10 schools (listed alphabetically) that would make good opponents for Purdue.
Alabama. Why not? Go big, or go home. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Besides: Nick Saban typically struggles vs. Purdue, right? He went 1-3-1 vs. the Boilermakers as Michigan State coach, losing in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
BYU. This makes too much sense. These two programs set the bar for passing offenses back in the 1970s and 1980s before it was cool to chuck the pigskin across the fall sky. And few schools have more lush quarterback traditions. The Cougars and Boilermakers never have met. We can have Jim McMahon and Mark Herrmann as honorary captains.
Colorado. Two things … 1. It’s Boulder. Have you ever been to Boulder? Nuf said. 2. It’s a winnable game. Remember when CU was a national power? I know, it's hard.
Georgia Tech. Two schools with rich engineering traditions and so much in common. Yet, the Boilermakers and Yellow Jackets have met just once: The 1978 Peach Bowl on Christmas. Fans would enjoy going to Atlanta, too. Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field in a gem tucked in downtown Hotlanta. Stop at The Varsity for two slaw dogs.
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Kentucky. It boggles the mind to think these schools haven’t played since 1915! And they have met just three times overall. Why the avoidance? It’s an easy four-hour drive between campuses. And the football programs typically are on pretty equal footing. Indiana and UK used to play annually for the Bourbon Barrel. That was fun. Let’s make Purdue-UK happen. Maybe in Indianapolis.
Miami. Nothing gets the juices flowing more than playing a national brand. And, that’s Miami, which holds a 5-1 lead in the series vs. Purdue. It was fun when the schools met in 1983 (at Miami) and 1984 (in West Lafayette). The Hurricanes won the national title in 1983. The next year, a first-year coach named Jimmy Johnson brought the Canes to West Lafayette. Purdue lost both games. So what? It was fun. The 1984 contest featured NFL talent like Bernie Kosar, Jim Everett, Rod Woodson, Ray Wallace, Rodney Carter, Alonzo Highsmith, Eddie Brown, Kevin Fagan. And, of course, Johnson's fabulous hair. Not bad.
Stanford. The schools have met four times in a two-game series on each occasion: 1969-70, and 1981-82. Old-time Purdue fans still buzz about the Jim Plunkett-Mike Phipps shootout in 1969 in Ross-Ade Stadium. John Elway and Stanford came to West Lafayette in consecutive years in the early 1980s. How cool is that? Elway split vs. the Boilermakers.
UCLA. Lots of Purdue alums in southern California would like to watch their Boilermakers in the LA sun. And who doesn’t like a trip to the Rose Bowl venue with the San Gabriel Mountains as a backdrop? The Bruins lead the series by a bizarre 3-0-2 count. UCLA won the last two meetings vs. good Boiler squads in 1979 (LA) and 1980 (WL).
UNLV. It’s Vegas, baby! Fans can enjoy the trappings of Sin City while watching the Boilers play in the glistening new Raiders stadium (Allegiant Stadium). Purdue and UNLV never have met. But, who cares? It's Vegas, baby!
Tennessee. Who can forget the 1979 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl!? The Boilers won it to cap the only 10-win season in school history, the lone time the Boilermakers and Vols have hooked up. It's always fun to measure yourself vs. an SEC foe.
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