Purdue football's opponents with the expansion of the Big Ten initially came out in June, but with the additions of Oregon and Washington, the conference updated the opponents between the 2024 and 2028 seasons.
Matchups with conference newcomers:
The Boilermakers, as the rest of the conference, will have a heavy dose of the former Pac 12 programs entering the league over the next five seasons. Purdue will host Oregon in West Lafayette next year and while there are no in-conference west coast trips on the books for 2024, the Boilermakers are slated to travel to Oregon State as a part of its non-conference schedule.
Purdue has one home and one away game against each of the conference newcomers the following three years. USC will then come to Ross-Ade Stadium in 2025, while Ryan Walters and company will head to Washington that same season. Washington will return the favor in 2026 by coming to West Lafayette and Purdue will head back out to Los Angeles to play UCLA.
After playing for the first time as conference foes in 2024, Purdue will take on Oregon in Eugene in 2027. The Boilermakers also have a home tilt against UCLA the same year. Rounding out the disclosed schedule in 2028, Purdue will take its first trip to USC for the only matchup against the incoming four teams that season.
Trips to the East held to a minimum, heavy dose of "Big Ten West" teams still on the docket:
Additionally, trips to the east coast will be kept to a minimum for the Boilermakers moving forward, as they have been in recent memory. Purdue will travel to Penn State in 2026, Maryland in 2027 and Rutgers in 2028 after no such trips in 2024 or 2025.
Purdue will also have a heavy dose of what is now the Big Ten West moving forward, playing at least three games against those programs in each of the next three seasons.
Old Oaken Bucket and Cannon Trophy games remain intact:
The Boilermakers unsurprisingly retain their protected rivalry games against Indiana and Illinois each season. Those matchups will be either both away or both home each year as well.
The gauntlet is coming:
As expansion continues its takeover across college football, Purdue will not have the benefit of taking weeks off during conference play, which were already few and far between in one of the nation's premiere conferences. The Boilermakers will take on the heavy hitters of not only the Big Ten, but the country each and every year moving forward.
Looking in the near future, Purdue has a gauntlet on tap in the 2024 and 2025 campaigns. Next season, Ryan Walters is set to lead the Boilermakers into matchups with Ohio State, Penn State and Oregon, along with non-conference games against Notre Dame and Oregon State. The following year, the schedule gets even tougher, as Purdue will face off with Ohio State and Notre Dame again, along with Michigan, Washington, and USC.