Would Purdue consider altering future schedules, dropping Power Five foes?
Power Five foes always have been a big part of Purdue’s non-conference scheduling. Opponents like Boston College, Louisville and Missouri have dotted recent Boilermaker schedules.
So, Purdue always has been in compliance with the Big Ten rule that required members to play one non-league game vs. a Power Five opponent each season. But, that rule could be out the window as early as 2024, according to a recent report by Brett McMurphy of The Action Network.
“As we’re introducing new members (USC, UCLA) in the league in ’24, it was an opportunity to sort of re-look at our entire football scheduling, structure, process, strategy and reexamine all the different elements of it,” Purdue AD Mike Bobinski told GoldandBlack.com. “I think everything that makes that up came into play.”
The league’s requirement for each member to play a Power Five foe each season was one of the subjects discussed at recent Big Ten meetings.
“When you introduce two teams like USC and UCLA, everyone’s going to have a pretty salty schedule year in, year out,” said Bobinski. “For teams that might want some more flexibility as opposed to being very prescriptive about what those games need to look like, should we think about maybe relaxing that and providing teams with the option to do what they feel best suits their program, their competitive aspirations, all those kinds of things? I think all of that is on the table and we’re working through it.”
Michigan already has been doing what it wants from a schedule standpoint, not playing any Power Five foes last year and with none on tap in 2023, either.
Scheduling is just one subject the Big Ten broached of late, also evaluating league structure with the conference set to become a 16-team league in 2024 as a 12-team College Football Playoff is launched the same year.
“Obviously, divisions or no divisions?’ said Bobinski. “What’s the (schedule) rotation? How many opponents are we going to protect? What are the three non-conference games? What should they look like going forward?”
Of course, if schools still wanted to play Power Five foes in the non-conference, they could. Big Ten schools also would still be permitted to play FCS opponents.
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Purdue plays two Power Five opponents this season: Syracuse and Virginia Tech. In 2024, the Boilermakers take on Notre Dame and Oregon State. In fact, Purdue already has a non-league game vs. a Power Five opponent scheduled each season through 2034. (There are no games scheduled for 2032).
Four of those seasons–including 2024–Purdue has two non-league games vs. Power Five opponents. Purdue also has three games vs. FCS foes scheduled in coming years.
Would Purdue considering altering its future schedules and dropping some Power Five opponents? There are looming games vs. Oregon State, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, TCU and Ole Miss.
“I don’t know that I would make a blanket statement one way or the other,” said Bobinski. “As I sit here today, I don’t have any inclination that we’re going to try to back out of those games or remove them from our schedule. Having maybe a little bit more flexibility and thinking about that differently going forward might be in the works. But, I feel that there’s a balance between competitive realities, what fans want to see, how do you get your team better for Big Ten play. …
“I think everybody has a different opinion. There’s no definitive answer that if you have scheduled this way, that’s the best for you. It’s very much sort of a give and take and just a judgment you have to make as you put schedules together.”
When could the Big Ten make some decisions on scheduling and league structure?
“Lots of folks are just wanting to have some certainty and clarity so they can start planning if they have some openings in their schedule for the ’24, ’25, those years. What’s my schedule going to look like so I can make some decisions that make sense from a competitive and strategic standpoint?
“There’s a sense of urgency from that perspective. We’d all like the decision to be made as soon as it’s ready to be made. We don’t want to rush it. But once we have all the information and are able to fully vet all the different angles and aspects, let’s get to a decision. No point in sitting on it at that point.”
Future Purdue non-conference schedules
2024
DateOpponentSept. 7Indiana StateSept. 14Notre DameSept. 21at Oregon State
2025
DateOpponentAug. 30Ball StateSept. 13UConnSept. 20at Notre Dame
2026
DateOpponentSept. 12Wake ForestSept. 19Indiana StateSept. 26Notre Dame
2027
DateOpponentSept. 4at Notre DameSept. 11North CarolinaSept. 18Miami (Ohio)
2028
DateOpponentSept. 2Western IllinoisSept. 9at Wake ForestSept. 23Notre Dame
2029
DateOpponentSept. 8at Vanderbilt
2030
DateOpponentSept. 14at TCU
2031
DateOpponentSept. 13at North Carolina
2032
No games schedule
2033
DateOpponentSept. 10at Ole Miss
2034
DateOpponentSept. 9Ole Miss
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