Purdue Football Announces Home and Home with UConn

We have breaking news!

No, not THAT breaking news. It is news, however. FBSchedules, a veritable warehouse of future FBS football schedules, has announced that Purdue has agreed to a home-and-home series with the University of Connecticut.

UConn Football is also announcing this:

UConn just completed a 1-11 season where its only win was over FCS Rhode Island 56-49. It also set the FBS record for the worst defense in history:

The Huskies set FBS single-season records for points allowed (605) and yards allowed (7,409) during their game against Temple in East Hartford, Connecticut. They entered Saturday’s finale 24 points shy of tying the previous single-season FBS record for most points allowed, set by East Carolina with 572 in 2010. Temple had 27 points midway through the second quarter and 40 in the first half, winning in a rout, 57-7.

Those numbers are absolutely brutal. They have lost 16 consecutive games against FBS level competition. They have only been at this level since 2000 and have made one bowl game since 2010. They have never played Purdue, but are 2-2 against Big Ten teams not named Rutgers (11-22) or Maryland (1-2). They have beaten Indiana twice and lost to Michigan twice, both in home-and-homes. They begin a home and home with Indiana next season in Bloomington. Purdue is 4-4-1 all-time against teams currently in the American Conference, going 1-2 vs. Cincinnati, 1-0-1 vs. SMU, 0-2 vs. Navy, and 2-0 vs. Central Florida.

With our return game at Boston College and a home-and-home with Syracuse also coming up Purdue alums in the Northeast will have several chances to see the Boilers in coming seasons. Here is the full schedule as it stands now, starting next year (CAPS = Home 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)

Maryland makes its first ever trip to Ross-Ade Stadium next year and we have hte return game of the Nevada home-and-home. TCU comes to Purdue for the first time since 1970 and Vanderbilt for the first time since 1941.

2020

• Sept. 5 - at Nebraska
• Sept. 12 - MEMPHIS
• Sept. 19 - AIR FORCE
• Sept. 26 - at Boston College
• Oct. 10 - RUTGERS
• Oct. 17 - at Illinois (Cannon Trophy Game)
• Oct. 24 - at Michigan
• Oct. 31 - NORTHWESTERN
• Nov. 7 - at Minnesota
• Nov. 14 - WISCONSIN
• Nov. 21 - IOWA
• Nov. 28 - at Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

Memphis, Air Force, and Rutgers make their first ever trips to West Lafayette. We make our first trip to Boston College (the return game from this year) and our first trip to Michigan since 2011.

2021

• Sept. 4 - OREGON STATE
• Sept. 11 - at Connecticut
• Sept. 18 - at Notre Dame (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
• Sept. 25 - ILLINOIS (Cannon Trophy Game)
• 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 (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

Purdue has two non-conference road games for the first time in decades. The most recent I could find was 1974 at Duke and at Notre Dame.

2022

• Sept. 3 - PENN STATE
• Sept. 10 - INDIANA STATE
• Oct. 1 - at Maryland
• Oct. 8 - IOWA
• Oct. 15 - at Minnesota
• Oct. 22 - WISCONSIN
• Nov. 5 - at Illinois (Cannon Trophy Game)
• Nov. 12 - at Nebraska
• Nov. 19 - NORTHWESTERN
• Nov. 26 - at Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

This schedule has two open dates in the non-conference and Penn State visits for the first time since 2016. there is the potential for a 2022-2023 home-and home with someone, though I have no idea who.

2023

• Sept. 9 - at Virginia Tech
• Sept. 23 - at Iowa
• Sept. 30 - ILLINOIS (Cannon Trophy Game)
• Oct. 7 - MINNESOTA
• Oct. 14 - OHIO STATE
• Oct. 21 - at Michigan
• Nov. 4 - NEBRASKA
• Nov. 11 - at Northwestern
• Nov. 18 - at Wisconsin
• Nov. 25 - INDIANA (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

This is the first time Ohio State comes back to Ross-Ade after this season and picking up them and Michigan from the east is not a break. The return game at Virginia Tech is from the 2015 visit by the Hokies. This year also has two open non-conference slots.

2024

• Aug. 31 - at Illinois (Cannon Trophy Game)
• Sept. 7 - INDIANA STATE
• Sept. 14 - NOTRE DAME (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
• Sept. 21 - at Oregon State
• Sept. 28 - IOWA
• Oct. 5 - WISCONSIN
• Oct. 12 - at Minnesota
• Oct. 26 - MICHIGAN STATE
• Nov. 2 - at Rutgers
• Nov. 16 - NORTHWESTERN
• Nov. 23 - at Nebraska
• Nov. 30 - at Indiana (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

This might be the friendliest schedule we have ever been given, and it is full set with all three non-conference dates locked in. It will be Purdue’s first ever trip to Oregon State and only second to Rutgers. There’s a lot of travel on t is one with only one relatively close by road game at Indiana. This is also Notre Dame’s first visit since 2013.

2025

• Sept. 6 - at Northwestern
• Sept. 13 - CONNECTICUT
• Sept. 20 - at Notre Dame (Shillelagh Trophy Game)
• Oct. 4 - at Penn State
• Oct. 11 - MARYLAND
• Oct. 25 - ILLINOIS
• Nov. 1 - at Wisconsin
• Nov. 8 - at Iowa
• Nov. 15 - MINNESOTA
• Nov. 22 - NEBRASKA
• Nov. 29 - INDIANA (Old Oaken Bucket Game)

Overall it is pretty easy to figure Purdue’s cross-division opponents. With the Bucket game locked in we can alternate the other 6 where we play each home once and away once over a 6-year period. There is still one open date for this season as well, and it would likely be a home game.

As a reminder, here are the remaining non-conference games that have been scheduled. The reason we have Indiana State three times is that we are allowed to schedule an FCS team in seasons where we have only four Big Ten home games.

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

2030

• Sept. 14 - at TCU