Purdue Football Season Opener Moved

For the third straight season Purdue has had one of its early season games moved to a weeknight. in 2017 Purdue kicked off its home schedule at home against Ohio in a Friday night contest. Last year’s season opener against Northwestern was moved to the Thursday night slot on the first full night of the season. This year we’re on the move again.

I am not too surprised by this as Nevada and the Mountain West getting a Big Ten team to come to their place is a big deal, so they want to put it in a bigger TV light. Their games are either with the ESPN networks or on CBS Sports Network. Purdue last played on CBS Sports Network in 2011 when it lost by two at Rice.

Nevada also did this the last time it hosts a Big Ten team, as it hosted Northwestern on a Friday night in 2006. This will almost certainly be a night game now, and at 4,610 feet above sea level it will be the highest altitude Purdue has ever played at.

Purdue beat Nevada 24-14 in 2016 for the last home win under He Who Will Not Be Named thanks to a late TD by Brycen Hopkins. This is the first non-Power 5 road game Purdue will play since losing at Marshall in 2015, and Purdue has not won a non-power 5 road game since at Toledo in 2007 (losing to Cincinnati, Rice, and Marshall since). Purdue does not have another non-Power 5 road game until at Connecticut in 2021.