Just a day after Purdue football officially announced Barry Odom as its next head coach, the Boilermakers and their new leader have their 2025 slate locked in. The Big Ten announced next season's conference matchups and dates, with times to be determined at a later date.

The 2025 slate is another tough one for the Boilermakers, who have four teams currently in the top 25 on the schedule, as well as three in the College Football Playoff field. Boiler Upload takes an initial look at how Purdue's 2025 schedule shakes out.

*Dates are subject to change due to television distinctions*

The Barry Odom era in West Lafayette will officially come to a head on August 30th, when the Boilermakers host Ball State for the season opener in Ross-Ade Stadium.

The Cardinals moved on from head coach Mike Neu last month after he went 40-63 in Muncie, including a 7-15 mark across the last two seasons before being fired prior to the end of the year. Ball State tabbed Butler's Mike Uremovich as its next head coach, marking the debuts of him and Barry Odom to kick off the 2025 season.

Purdue has dominated the all-time series with Ball State since their first meeting back in 1985, as the Boilermakers hold a perfect 8-0 mark against the in-state foe. The most recent matchup was a 24-13 win in West Lafayette in 2010.

A late addition to the non-conference slate is FCS Southern Illinois, who will come to West Lafayette for a battle on September 6th in Ross-Ade Stadium.

The Salukis are coming off of a down year after having made the NCAA Division I playoffs in three of the previous four years under head coach Nick Hill. Southern Illinois went 4-8 in 2024 and finished 8th in the Missouri Valley Conference.

It will be just the second time Purdue has faced off against Southern Illinois, with the first and only meeting being a 35-13 win for the Boilermakers in 2014.

The first ever meeting between Purdue and USC as conference foes and the Boilermakers' Big Ten-opener will take place on September 13th as the Trojans come to Ross-Ade Stadium for the first time since 1976.

After starting his tenure with an 11-3 mark in 2022, Lincoln Riley has seen the Trojans take a step back in each of the last two years, finishing with a 6-6 mark during the regular season and a 4-5 record in the school's first year in the conference.

Purdue and USC have not met on the football field since 1998 and the three other meetings have been spread out as well. Purdue won the first meeting in 1966, and the Trojans followed up with three straight wins in 1975, 1976 and the aforementioned 1998.

The first big test of the year will come in the form of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Purdue will travel to South Bend to take on Marcus Freeman and company on September 20th in Notre Dame Stadium. The rivalry clash will be Purdue's first roadtrip of the season, as well.

The Fighting Irish made it out of the regular season with an 11-1 mark this year and are now preparing for a College Football Playoff matchup with Indiana on December 20th.

Purdue has lost nine straight to Notre Dame, dating back to 2008, with the last Boilermaker win in the series coming in 2007. The most recent matchup was a forgettable showing by Purdue, falling on the wrong side of a 66-7 rout in West Lafayette.

The first of Purdue's two protected rivalry games in the expanded Big Ten, Illinois, is once again on the conference slate. Purdue will host the Illini on October 4th for another edition of the Cannon Trophy Game in West Lafayette.

Illinois had another strong campaign while being led by Bret Bielema, finishing the regular season with a 9-3 mark, including a 6-3 record in Big Ten play, which placed fifth in the conference. The Illini are set to battle South Carolina in the

Purdue has won four of the last five against the Illini, seeing its four-game winning streak snapped in Champaign in October this season.

Purdue and Minnesota will meet after a one-year hiatus in the series, with the Boilermakers traveling to Minneapolis on October 11th for the conference clash.

PJ Fleck has been one of the more consistent coaches in the conference since 2017 and produced another winning season in 2024. The Golden Gophers went 7-5 in the regular season, with a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play, and will cap off the year against Georgia Tech in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Purdue has lost eight of the last 11 against the Golden Gophers, but have come out victorious in each of the last two meetings in 2022 and 2023.

It's not a protected rivalry, but Purdue and Northwestern will face off for a 12th straight season in 2025, as the Boilermakers head up to Evanston on October 18th. The old Big Ten West battle will likely take place at Northwestern temporary field with a view of Lake Michigan as the backdrop.

On the heels of their 8-5 record in 2023, David Braun and Northwestern finished the year 4-8 and their 2-7 conference mark was third worst in the Big Ten, ahead of just Maryland and Purdue.

It has been a pretty even split in recent memory between the Boilermakers and Wildcats, who have each won three games across the last six meetings, but Northwestern handed Purdue losses in 2023 and 2024.

For the first time since 2020 and just the third time ever, Purdue and Rutgers will face off on the gridiron, as the Scarlet Knights come to West Lafayette on XXXX.

Under the direction of Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights notched their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2011-12, which came during Schiano's first stint with the program. Rutgers finished the regular season with a 7-5 mark and will close out the year against Kansas State in the Rate Bowl.

Purdue has only played Rutgers twice all-time, both resulting in losses for the Boilermakers. The first game in 2017 and the most recent matchup was a 37-30 Rutgers win in West Lafayette.

For the second time in three years, Purdue will head to Ann Arbor to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House.

First-year head coach Sherrone Moore saw a down year after taking over for Jim Harbaugh and defending the Wolverines' national championship a season ago. Michigan went 7-5 and 5-4 in Big Ten play, but did knock off Ohio State in the regular season finale. The Wolverines have reasons for optimism moving forward, however, as five-star freshman Bryce Underwood is labeled as next season's starting quarterback.

Purdue has lost six straight against the Wolverines, with the last win being a 38-36 thriller back in 2009. The Boilermakers lost twice to Michigan in the last few years, falling in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game and in 2023.

Another of the college football's elite will be on Purdue's slate next season in Ohio State, who will come to Ross-Ade Stadium in week 11.

The Buckeyes were labeled as perhaps the most talented roster in college football this season, but were kept out of the Big Ten Championship Game for a fourth straight year, finishing with a 10-2 regular season record after losses to Michigan and Oregon. Ohio State will still have a national championship opportunity, facing Tennessee in the first round of the College Football Playoff later this month.

Purdue has been dominated by the Buckeyes in the all-time series, holding a 15-43-2 mark against the boys from Columbus. That includes a current three-game losing streak after the Tyler Trent game upset in 2018, having lost by an average of 35.6 points per game during the streak.

The first west coast conference roadtrip for the Boilermakers since the Big Ten expanded to 18 teams will be a trip to Washington in week 12.

A year after going to the National Championship Game, the Huskies went 6-6 under first-year head coach, including a 4-5 mark in their first year as a Big Ten member. Washington will play Louisville in the Sun Bowl to close out the season later this month.

It will be almost 23 years between meetings for the Boilermakers and Huskiers, who last played in the 2002 Sun Bowl. That was a Purdue victory in El Paso, Texas, 34-24 under Joe Tiller. Prior to that, the Huskies had won seven-straight in the series, between a tie and a 13-6 Purdue win in their first ever meeting in 1961.

As is the annual tradition, Purdue will cap off the season with an Old Oaken Bucket matchup with Indiana, slated for the final week of the 2025 season.

The Hoosiers have risen to the upper echelon of the college football world this season, putting together an 11-1 regular season and are the No. 10 seed in the College Football Playoff, where they will play Notre Dame.

Curt Cignetti and company should be a ranked team heading into next season, offering another tough matchup to close out the year if the Hoosiers' current trend of success continues.