Purdue has finished filling out its non-conference slate for 2027, and the last piece is an FCS matchup. Tom Dienhart of GoldandBlack.com reported Wednesday that the Boilermakers will host Albany on Sept. 11, 2027.
That gives Purdue its full three-game non-conference schedule for that season. The Boilermakers will open with a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame on Sept. 4, then welcome Miami (Ohio) to Ross-Ade Stadium on Sept. 18.
According to Dienhart’s report, Purdue will pay Albany $500,000 for the game in West Lafayette.
The addition fits a shift that makes plenty of sense for a program that has taken too many hard hits in non-conference play lately. Purdue has spent years leaning into a tough scheduling philosophy outside the Big Ten, including the kind of Power Four matchups that former head coach Jeff Brohm embraced.
But the results have not followed that approach. This season, Purdue played Wake Forest and Notre Dame in non-conference action and lost both, with its only non-conference win coming against Indiana State in Week 1.
Had Purdue swapped out either Wake Forest or Notre Dame for a Group of Six opponent, Barry Odom’s team would likely be sitting at 4-3 with five games left to get two more wins and reach bowl eligibility.
Albany is not the boldest scheduling choice, but Purdue does not need to keep stacking the deck against itself. For a program that has struggled, adding a more manageable opponent is the practical move.
There could be some limits on how much freedom Purdue has going forward if the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams. Odom said Monday that, if that model is approved, Big Ten teams would have to play nine conference games and three non-conference games, with one of those non-conference matchups required to be against a Power Four opponent.
Even so, Purdue is already in decent shape from a scheduling standpoint. It has at least one power conference opponent lined up every year from 2027 through 2034 - Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, TCU, North Carolina and Ole Miss.
That should be enough for now. Purdue can keep one Power Four game on the ledger and fill the rest with FCS or Group of Six opponents, because there is no reason to make the road any steeper than it already is.
In Other News...
Trey Kaufman-Renn Already Faces Early Questions In His Next Chapter
Trey Kaufman-Renns next chapter has already come with some early uncertainty, even before Kansas gets to its season opener. Bill Self said he is planning to play Kaufman-Renn, but the coach stopped well short of locking in his availability as the Jayhawks continue to monitor where things stand heading into the opener.
Kaufman-Renn has missed both exhibition games after turning his ankle in practice, and conditioning is part of the conversation as well. Beyond the on-court concerns, his eligibility is also being reviewed after legal action tied to NCAA rules, leaving one of Kansas newer pieces in a holding pattern for the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue's Bye Week Reset Faces A Road Test That Could Say Plenty
Purdue gets back to work after a bye week that gave the Boilermakers time to heal up, reset and sort through some recent uneven play before heading into a road test at Penn State. Both teams enter at 3-4, but Purdue has at least banked a 2-2 mark in Big Ten play, while the Nittany Lions are still searching for their first conference win under Matt Campbell.
For Purdue, the matchup offers a chance to see whether the off week sharpened a group that has needed cleaner execution in the games critical moments. The Boilermakers will also be watching for a response from Fame Ijeboi after a quieter outing last time out, and the bigger question may be how Purdue handles a Penn State offense that has had trouble finishing drives and generating much push on the ground. [Read more 🡒]
Purdue Just Sent A Clear Message About Matt Painters Future
Purdue is making it clear it wants Matt Painter in place for the long haul. The university announced a contract extension for its head basketball coach, a move that reflects how far the program has come under his watch as he closes in on the schools all-time wins record and continues to pile up NCAA Tournament appearances and Big Ten success.
The timing also says plenty about how Purdue views the future of its mens basketball program, with Painter now positioned among the highest-paid coaches in the Big Ten and nationally. The deal still needs formal approval from the Purdue University Board of Regents, but the message from the athletic department is unmistakable: Painter remains the centerpiece of what the Boilermakers want to keep building. [Read more 🡒]