Purdue Football Gets Latest Possible Kickoff Time for Big Ten Opener vs. UCLA
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Purdue fans will want to consume an extra cup (or two or three) of coffee when the Boilermakers head to Los Angeles on Sept. 19 for their Big Ten opener. They will have the latest possible kickoff time for their first conference game against UCLA.
On Wednesday, Purdue learned the kickoff times for each of its first three games of the 2026 season. Perhaps the most noteworthy announcement is that the Boilers will have an 11 p.m. ET kickoff for their Sept. 19 Big Ten clash against UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
The game will air on Big Ten Network.
That should be the latest kickoff time Purdue endures during the upcoming season, as it is the team's only trip to the West Coast.
Purdue has only made a West Coast trip to play a Big Ten opponent once since the former Pac-12 schools joined the league. Last season, the Boilers traveled to Seattle to play Washington, with a kickoff time set at 7 p.m. ET.
In 2024, Purdue did travel to Corvallis for a showdown with Oregon State, a game that began at 8:30 p.m. ET, though that was obviously a non-conference contest.
The Boilers were unsuccessful in both of those trips, losing 38-21 to Oregon State in 2024 and falling 49-13 to Washington last fall.
Purdue's meeting with UCLA will be just the sixth time the two programs have played. The Bruins own a 3-0-2 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams have not met since a 1980 matchup in West Lafayette.
Other kickoff times announced for Purdue
Along with the near-midnight kickoff against UCLA, Purdue also learned of two other kickoff dates and times for the upcoming season.
The season opener against Indiana State has been moved to Friday, Sept. 4. It had previously been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5. The Boilermakers and Sycamores are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff to begin the 2026 campaign. Big Ten Network will broadcast that contest.
In Week 2, Purdue will host Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 12 with a kickoff set for noon ET. That game will air of FS1.
A few weeks ago, Purdue also learned that its home game against Washington will be a Friday night game. The Boilermakers host the Huskies on Friday, Oct. 16, at Ross-Ade Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET and FOX will broadcast the game.
More kickoff times will be released at a later date.
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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.
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