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Barry Odom is trying to change the narrative in West Lafayette.
Purdue hasn't won a Big Ten game in two seasons, and, as a result, there's another bleak projection for the Boilermakers in 2026.
CBS Sports has recently released its projected records for every Big Ten team for the upcoming college football season.
Once again, Purdue is predicted to finish near the bottom of the conference.
Will the Boilers outperform their projected win total for 2026? Or will they fall short, resulting in another disappointing year? What's the prediction? Brad Crawford of CBS Sports laid out a grim prediction for Purdue this season.
He penciled in the Boilermakers with a 3-9 record, expecting them to pick up victories over Indiana State (Sept.
4), Wake Forest (Sept.
12) and Maryland (Nov.
7).
Per this projection, Purdue would finish in a tie for last place in the conference.
Crawford also predicts Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers and Michigan State will finish 1-8 in Big Ten play.
"The outlook is bleak for the Boilermakers despite expansive roster turnover, given a schedule that offers little breathing room," he wrote.
"Purdue is still in the early stages of a rebuild, and limited overall talent on both sides of the ball makes it difficult to consistently compete in the Big Ten.
With multiple top-tier opponents on the slate, Purdue simply doesn't have the firepower yet to turn close losses into wins." Is this prediction accurate? Or will the Boilers finish above that lowly three-win mark? Why Purdue will finish with more than 3 wins There are quite a few things working in Purdue's favor heading into 2026 that should give folks confidence that it will finish with more than three wins this season.
Most importantly, the Boilermakers upgraded the roster substantially from last season.
Odom and his staff built a top-25 class from the NCAA transfer portal and made significant improvements to both the offensive and defensive lines.
The running back and wide receiver positions are also deeper and more experienced and the secondary has seen an improvement in talent.
That, alone, should be enough to get this program to at least four wins.
Purdue's schedule is also much more manageable than it was during the past two seasons, when it failed to win a single league game.
The Boilers avoid Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon and USC, some of the conference's top teams.
Yes, they'll still play reigning national champion Indiana, and will have tough matchups with Notre Dame, Penn State, Iowa and Washington, but it's still a lighter slate than it has been in recent years.
Finally, this will be the second full year for starting quarterback Ryan Browne after winning the QB1 job last season.
He should have a full grasp of Josh Henson's offense and had an entire offseason to develop chemistry with the current roster.
The Boilermakers have everything needed to reach at least the four- or five-win mark this year.
Is that ultimately where Odom wants this program? Obviously not.
It would be a big step in the right direction, though.
How Purdue could finish with 3 wins or fewer Purdue's success in 2026 is going to depend heavily on the offensive line.
While Odom loves how that unit has improved from last season, this is still a front line that will welcome several new faces into the rotation.
There are no guarantees that this group can develop the chemistry necessary to perform at a high level.
If the offensive line struggles, so too will the Boilers.
Along those same lines, Purdue will need to win some games early to develop some confidence.
In the first three weeks, the Boilers play Indiana State and Wake Forest at home before its Big Ten opener at the Rose Bowl against UCLA.
If Purdue can jump out to a 3-0 start, hitting a five-win total feels almost automatic.
At the very least, Purdue needs to start the year 2-1 to generate some momentum.
If they fall to 1-2 early, things could spiral very quickly, especially with games against Notre Dame, Illinois and Minnesota ahead in the coming weeks.
There are also some questions about Odom's offseason decision to bring back Kevin Kane as the program's defensive coordinator.
He was in charge of that unit in 2024 under Ryan Walters, arguably the worst year in program history.
That defense allowed 39.9 points and 452.7 yards per game, worst in the Big Ten by a wide margin.
Can he right those wrongs and transform Purdue's defense into a serviceable Big Ten unit? Or will it be more of the same? That's the three-headed monster that could prevent the Boilermakers from getting beyond the three-win mark in 2026.
Get top Boilermakers stories, expert analysis, and can't-miss moments straight to your inbox for free by signing up for the Purdue Boilermakers on SI newsletter! Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism.
His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football.
He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers.
Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
Follow SchutteDustin.