In 1967 Purdue football could have been the national champion. The Boilermakers started the season as the defending Rose Bowl champions and got as high as No. 2 before a stunning 22-14 loss to Oregon State at home on October 21st. Purdue entered the Bucket Game later that seaosn at No. 3 before suffering a late loss to Indiana, but if you win those games Purdue is likely your national champion.
Finally, we get a shot at revenge.
.@AFFootball, @BeaverFootball & @IndStFB all added to future schedules! #BoilerUp #LetsPlayMoreFootball pic.twitter.com/V4RTobYhOn
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 5, 2017
The Air Force game is the first to talk about here, and it will take place on September 19, 2020. It will also be the first time Purdue has played Air Force and the first time we have played a Service Academy since a 32-0 loss against Navy in Baltimore on November 18, 1944. To be fair, Navy was beating a ton of good teams that year including Penn State, Georgia Tech, and Japan.
That also completes the entire 2020 schedule:
2020
- Sept. 5 - at Nebraska
- Sept. 12 - MEMPHIS
- Sept. 19 - AIR FORCE
- Sept. 26 - at Boston College
- Oct. 10 - RUTGERS
- Oct. 17 - at Illinois
- Oct. 24 - at Michigan
- Oct. 31 - NORTHWESTERN
- Nov. 7 - at Minnesota
- Nov. 14 - WISCONSIN
- Nov. 21 - IOWA
- Nov. 28 - at Indiana
It will be the first time Air Force, Memphis, and Rutgers ever come to Ross-Ade Stadium.
The first Oregon State game will be on September 4, 2021 at Purdue, and it will open the 2021 season:
2021
- Sept. 4 - OREGON STATE
- Sept. 18 - at Notre Dame
- Sept. 25 - ILLINOIS
- Oct. 2 - MINNESOTA
- Oct. 9 - at Ohio State
- Oct. 16 - NEBRASKA
- Oct. 30 - at Iowa
- Nov. 6 - MICHIGAN STATE
- Nov. 13 - at Wisconsin
- Nov. 20 - at Northwestern
- Nov. 27 - INDIANA
Purdue currently has one spot left for the 2021 season, and it will likely be a buy home game to get a 7th home game.
The two Indiana State games being added will be played September 7, 2024 and September 19, 2026. This makes three future home games against the Sycamores, but the Big Ten recently backed down from its anti-FCS stance to allow teams to play an FCS team if they have only four home conference games. That is the situation in 2022, 2024, and 2026, so Purdue will play Indiana State all three years.
The return game to Corvallis with Oregon State will be played on September 21, 2024. that makes the schedules for 2022 and beyond as follows (with the complete Big Ten schedule only being out through 2021)
2022
- Sept. 10 - INDIANA STATE
2023
- Sept. 9 - at Virginia Tech
2024
- Sept. 7 - INDIANA STATE
- Sept. 14 - NOTRE DAME (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
- Sept. 21 - at Oregon State
2025
- Sept. 20 - at Notre Dame (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
2026
- Sept. 12 - WAKE FOREST
- Sept. 19 - INDIANA STATE
- Sept. 26 - NOTRE DAME (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
2027
- Sept. 4 - at Notre Dame (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
2028
- Sept. 9 - at Wake Forest
- Sept. 23 - NOTRE DAME (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
2029
- Sept. 8 - at Vanderbilt
- Sept. 15 - at TCU
And finally, here are the complete 2018 and 2019 schedules:
2018
- Aug. 30 - NORTHWESTERN
- Sept. 8 - EASTERN MICHIGAN (Band Day)
- Sept. 15 - MISSOURI
- Sept. 22 - BOSTON COLLEGE (Homecoming)
- Sept. 29 - at Nebraska
- Oct. 13 - at Illinois (Cannon Trophy Game)
- Oct. 20 - OHIO STATE
- Oct. 27 - at Michigan State
- Nov. 3 - IOWA
- Nov. 10 - at Minnesota
- Nov. 17 - WISCONSIN
- Nov. 24 - at Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket Game)
2019
- Aug. 31 - at Nevada
- Sept. 7 - VANDERBILT
- Sept. 14 - TCU
- Sept. 28 - MINNESOTA
- Oct. 5 - at Penn State
- Oct. 12 - MARYLAND (Homecoming)
- Oct. 19 - at Iowa
- Oct. 26 - ILLINOIS (Cannon Trophy Game)
- Nov. 2 - NEBRASKA
- Nov. 9 - at Northwestern
- Nov. 23 - at Wisconsin
- Nov. 30 - INDIANA (Old Oaken Bucket Game)
Purdue still has to complete home-and-homes with Missouri (2018), Nevada (in Reno 2019) and Virginia Tech (in Blacksburg in 2023), which were all negotiated by Morgan Burke. I believe Burke also negotiated the Vanderbilt and Wake Forest home-and-homes, but Bobinski has added Boston College, TCU, and now Oregon State, as well as restructuring the Notre Dame series.
Purdue still needs one game in 2021, 2027, 2028, and 2029. It needs two in 2022, 2023, and 2025, and 2027. Since Bobinski is not afraid to play two Power 5 teams out of conference (currently set for 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024, 2026, 2028, and 2029) there is a good chance we can see a few more major conference teams.
I, for one, want to see Colorado since we’re already 2-0 on the National Gold and Black Challenge with Missouri and Iowa and we have Wake Forest and Vanderbilt out there.