Wisconsin’s Week 12 trip to Purdue lands in the middle of a Boilermakers rebuild that still looks like a long climb.
The Badgers are set to visit Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Saturday, Nov. 21, with kickoff and TV details still to be determined. Purdue finished 2-10 in 2025 and went winless in Big Ten play, taking its only victories against Ball State and Southern Illinois.
Barry Odom is heading into his second season as Purdue’s head coach, and the numbers from Year 1 show how much work remains. The Boilermakers averaged 342.8 yards per game on offense, which ranked No. 100 nationally, and gave up 423.5 yards per game on defense, good for No. 118 in the country. In other words, there’s plenty of room to move up on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Ryan Browne is the most important piece on offense. As a redshirt sophomore in 2025, he started all 12 games and completed 199 of 338 passes for 2,153 yards, nine touchdowns and a 58.9 percent completion rate. He also ran 66 times for 206 yards and four scores.
On defense, Charles Correa is the name to know. The junior followed Odom from UNLV and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition from coaches and media in 2025.
He started every game for Purdue, piling up 96 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two passes defended. Correa led the Boilermakers in tackles for loss and finished third on the team in total tackles.
Purdue also added Jaden Mangham as a transfer after stops at Michigan State and Michigan. In 2025 with the Wolverines, the redshirt senior played in 13 games and made five starts, finishing with 30 tackles, two tackles for loss and two passes defended.
The broader picture for Purdue is simple: outside of its opener against Indiana State, and with Notre Dame and Wake Forest also on the non-conference slate, the Boilermakers may spend much of the season as the underdog. They have also lost 18 straight games to Wisconsin, a streak that dates back to 2004.
There is a sense around the program that Purdue is headed in the right direction, but in Year 2 of a full rebuild, Odom still has a tough road ahead.
ESPN’s FPI gives Wisconsin a 61.3 percent chance to win the Week 12 matchup.
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