Barry Odom needs a feel-good start after a 2-10 debut season, and the schedule-makers just handed him one against an FCS team he's supposed to beat.
Bush’s Picks
INSTPUR
INSTPUR
OverUnder
Best BetPurdue
Purdue is bad, but it's still an FBS roster against an FCS one, and that gap almost always shows up in a season opener. Indiana State went 1-7 in MVFC play last year and doesn't have the horses to hang with a Big Ten roster even a rebuilding one. Back Purdue here and worry about the Big Ten schedule later.
Indiana State
+Buck Buchanan finalist Kimal Clark anchors defense
+Jerry Rice finalist Nic Yatsko adds playmaking
+New DC Steve Morrison brings staff refresh
−Went 3-9, 1-7 in MVFC last season
−Purdue hasn't lost to sub-FBS foe since 1925
−Lost most recent meeting with Purdue 49-0
Purdue
+FBS roster talent gap vs FCS opponent
+Browne returns with 12 starts of experience
+Odom's portal class aimed at more continuity
This is about as low-stakes as a season opener gets. Purdue is coming off a 2-10 disaster in Odom's first year in West Lafayette, a season that ended with a 3-56 no-show against Indiana in the Old Oaken Bucket. Indiana State went 3-9 in the Missouri Valley last fall. Neither program is walking in with momentum, but only one of them is playing at the FBS level.
Sophomore Ryan Browne started all 12 games for Purdue in 2025 and returns as the incumbent under center, with Odom notably choosing not to bring in a portal quarterback this offseason. That's either a vote of confidence or a sign the cupboard's bare depending who you ask, but either way Browne gets a soft landing spot to open the year against an FCS defense.
Show fees
6:00 PM CT
Spread
ML
Total
INST Indiana State
PUR Purdue
Odom has talked about being more deliberate with the transfer portal this cycle, prioritizing multi-year guys over one-and-done rentals after last year's roster saw 82 new faces. Whether that philosophy translates to wins is the question hanging over the entire season, and a home opener against a MVFC team is about the gentlest possible test.
Indiana State Sycamores
Purdue Boilermakers
Recent form.
Indiana State isn't walking in empty-handed. Defensive lineman Kimal Clark was a Buck Buchanan Award finalist last season and receiver Nic Yatsko picked up Jerry Rice Award recognition, so there's real talent on that roster even if the win total didn't show it. Curt Mallory also brought in a new defensive coordinator in Steve Morrison, part of a staff refresh aimed at fixing a defense that finished 1-7 in conference play.
History says this one isn't close. Purdue hasn't lost to a sub-FBS opponent since 1925, and the last time these two met, in 2024, the Boilermakers won 49-0. A rebuilding, bottom-of-the-Big-Ten roster still has a talent gap on an FCS foe, even one with a few legitimate standouts, and that's usually enough on its own in September.
