One of the largest gaps Purdue has ever had in a home-and-home was with Rice. The Owls came to West Lafayette in 1998 and Purdue delayed their return to Houston until 2011. There is currently a large gap between Vanderbilt (2019 to 2029) and TCU (2019 to 2030) that could grow larger as confernce expansion does a number on schedules. In theory Purdue could also try to reschedule the return trip to Boston College it had slated for 2020, but that would be pretty far out by now.

Saturday marks the conclusion of a home-and-home with Virginia Tech that began eight years ago. That game probably couldn't have much less bearing on this one. No players are left from that one on either roster, and both teams have even changed coaches twice since then. Unlike Syracuse, which played Purdue just last year, this feels like a one-off.

For Purdue, this feels like a game it needs if there is going to be a bowl game in 2023. The Boilers recovered from an 0-3 start in 2018 to reach the postseason, but such recoveries are rare. It has always felt like any postseason bid this year was predicated on a 2-1 non-conference season. Virginia Tech has had three consecutive losing seasons, and last year's 3-8 mark did not instill a lot of confidence coming into this year.

This may not be a must-win for Purdue, but it is a chance to get a quality road win and show improvement over last week.