West Virginia has added a Big Ten opponent to its 2027 football schedule, with athletic director Wren Baker announcing Tuesday morning that Purdue will visit Morgantown for a home game.
The date for the matchup will be set later, once the rest of the non-conference schedule is finalized. Baker said the game gives the Mountaineers the 10 Power 4 opponents they need under the expanded College Football Playoff format.
“We are looking forward to hosting Purdue in Morgantown next season for the first time since 1995,” Baker said. “It is an important addition for us, because it now gives us 10 Power 4 games on our schedule, which is a requirement in the expanded College Football Playoff.
It also gives us a regional Big Ten opponent visiting Milan Puskar Stadium, which I know Mountaineer Nation will be excited about. With the addition of Purdue, we will have further announcements on our 2027 schedule as we finalize everything in the coming days."
Before this addition, West Virginia had nine Power Four games lined up for 2027. The current Big 12 slate includes home games against Arizona State, BYU, Iowa State and UCF, along with road trips to Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.
One non-conference game will have to come off the schedule, and VMI appears to be the most likely candidate to stay in place as the FCS opponent. The home game against Ohio is part of a 2-for-1 arrangement, with the other home date against the Bobcats set for 2029. If Ohio is the game that gets removed and nothing else shifts, West Virginia could end up opening the season against a Power Four opponent.
Purdue’s current non-conference schedule includes games against UAlbany on 8/28, at Notre Dame on 9/4 and Miami Ohio on 9/11.
The matchup will be the third all-time meeting between West Virginia and Purdue, and the series is tied 1-1. Purdue beat the Mountaineers 26-24 in Morgantown in 1995, and West Virginia returned the favor with a 20-6 win in West Lafayette the next season.
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