As the summer rolls along on our march to the start of a brand new college football season, we are beginning to dig deep into the makeup of the Big Ten and the rest of the college football world. The Big Ten has been riding high these past few years with three straight seasons ending with a Big Ten team crowned as kings of the college football world. One program looking to work its way up into the College Football Playoff discussion is Illinois. Could 2026 be the season the Illini make their playoff debut?
Here is a quick look at the Illinois Fighting Ilini heading into the 2026 season.
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Quick 2025 Recap
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Record: 2-10 overall, 0-9 Big Ten
It was another tough season for Purdue football in 2025, but there is still hope for better results under the leadership of Barry Odom. Odom had a rough task in front of him in taking over the Boilermakers, who were coming off a 1-11 season the previous year. Purdue only won two games last season, and that was in the first two games of the season against Ball State and Southern Illinois.
Purdue’s 10-game losing streak to finish out the season started with a 33-17 loss at home to USC with Ryan Browne passing for 305 yards but throwing three interceptions. Purdue was not really competitive in the majority of its games, including blowout losses to Notre Dame, Ohio State, Washington, and rival Indiana.
Purdue had some talented players, but not nearly enough depth to keep up with the competition. Ryan Browne passed for 2,153 yards but had just 9 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. Devin Mockobee rushed for 521 yards and four touchdowns, the lowest rushing output in his four seasons at Purdue.
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Head coach: Barry Odom, 2nd season
Nov 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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Record: 46-43 overall, 2-10 with Purdue
Barry Odom enters his second season in charge of the Purdue program since coming to the program from UNLV. The former Missouri head coach was expected to take some lumps with the program in his debut season in the Big Ten, but the work now is to continue amassing talent through recruiting and the transfer portal to bring Purdue back to the level of being bowl-eligible. Expecting that turnaround to happen in 2026 may still be a reach, but Odom will continue to improve the Purdue program in 2026.
Offensive player to know: Xavier Townsend, Wide Receiver
Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Townsend stands for a portrait during Iowa State football media day at Jack Trice Stadium on July 25, 2025, in Ames.
Purdue brings back veteran quarterback Ryan Browne and redshirt senior running back Devin Mockobee, but one of the newest pieces of the offense is former Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Townsend. Townsend caught 18 passes for 243 yards with the Cyclones last season and he entered the transfer portal, along with a number of his Iowa State teammates, when Matt Campbell left to become the head coach at Penn State. He should see a significant role in the Purdue offense this fall.
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Defensive player to know: Charles Correa, Linebacker
Sep 6, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers running back Malachi Thomas (24) celebrates a sack with Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Charles Correa (5) during the second quarter against the Southern Illinois Salukis at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Purdue will return one of the Big Ten’s top rising linebackers with Charles Correa. Correa is coming off a sophomore season in which he racked up 96 tackles (tied for 12th-most in the Big Ten) with an average of 8.00 tackles per game. Correa had 3.0 sacks and 7.5 TFL last season. He has a way of finding the football and will be an anchor for the Purdue defense this fall.
Does Penn State face Purdue in 2026?
Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Antoine Belgrave-Shorter (23) and Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Cam Miller (5) defend the pass intended for Purdue Boilermakers wide receiver CJ Smith (9) Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind. Penn State Nittany Lions won 49-10.
Penn State will play host to Purdue this season. There will be some trick-or-treating in Beaver Stadium when Penn State welcomes Purdue to Happy Valley on Saturday, October 31. The game time has yet to be announced at this time.
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Purdue will get the luxury of having a bye week to prepare for its road trip to Penn State. The Boilermakers’ previous game is scheduled for a Friday night at home against Washington on Friday, Oct. 16. Penn State will also be coming off a bye week, however. Penn State’s game before hosting the Boilermakers will be a road game at Michigan on Saturday, October 17.
Penn State leads the all-time series with Purdue, 17-3-1. Penn State has won 11 consecutive games in the series dating back to 2005.
Nov 18, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; A detail view of a Purdue Boilermakers helmet on the sideline during a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
Home games in all CAPS.
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September 4 (Friday) vs. INDIANA STATE
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September 12 vs. WAKE FOREST
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October 10 vs. MINNESOTA*
“*” designates Big Ten Conference game
Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Purdue football in 2026
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