Despite Struggles This Season, Barry Odom's Belief in Purdue is Unwavering

This season hasn't gone as planned, but Barry Odom continues to believe that Purdue can be a contender in the Big Ten. It's going to take some time, though.

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Barry Odom looked across the field on Saturday afternoon, he saw Purdue's future potential. Ohio State is the best team in the country and a perennial national title contender. It's the type of program he wants to establish in West Lafayette.

The disparity in talent and experience was evident on the field at Ross-Ade Stadium, as the top-ranked Buckeyes clobbered Purdue 34-10. While Odom pointed to some positive things from Saturday's showing, he knows there's a lot of improvement, growth and development necessary before Purdue is in the same conversation as Ohio State.

In time, though Odom believes Purdue will get it accomplished.

"There will be some people upset with this statement, but that's what we're chasing," Odom said following Saturday's loss. "Right now, in our league, they are setting the standard. We're working every single day to chase that.

"From recruiting, from development, from calling the game, all of those things, right now, they are setting the standard. It's our job to chase that, catch up. I give them a lot of credit on how they're built."

Odom's belief gets stronger

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks on | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The results should tell Odom to hang his head in discouragement. The Boilermakers were no match for the Buckeyes on Saturday, but that's hardly the only disappointment this season.

Purdue has let multiple opportunities slip through its fingers this season. It held fourth-quarter leads against Minnesota and Rutgers but lost both games. In a road game against No. 21 Michigan, the Boilermakers had plenty of chances to pull off an upset.

Missed opportunities, ill-time penalties, and critical turnovers have turned Purdue's season on its side. The Boilermakers sit 2-8 on the year and are winless in Big Ten play. With games against No. 23 Washington and No. 2 Indiana remaining, there's a strong chance the program endures a second straight year without a conference win.

Still, Odom has a vision for Purdue's program.

"I'm going to keep believing, and we will get back to winning ways for this program and all the people who support it. I believe very, very strongly in that," he said.

"It is a sprint with no finish line, and you have to keep chipping and you have to keep fighting, and you have to keep scratching and clawing. Nobody said it was going to be easy. We will get there," Odom said. "I have more belief today than I had last December. I've got more belief today than I had after the first game. It's just going to be hard. But, I know exactly where we're at, and what we need to do, and how we're going to get there."

In a season when so much has gone wrong, Odom could easily recalibrate expectations. Maybe this isn't going to be the fastest turnaround in college football history, but it's a turnaround he believes will happen.

"Nothing worth having is easy in life," Odom said. "You have to work for everything ... It won't be long before we're playing meaningful games in November.'

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UGLY NUMBERS FROM PURDUE'S LOSS TO OHIO STATE: Purdue's offense struggled to gain yardage, and the defense couldn't stop the combination of Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith on Saturday. CLICK HERE