Where Does Purdue Football Rank Among Big Ten Teams After Spring Practice?

Spring practices are done, and one outlet has ranked every Big Ten team heading into the 2026 season. Where do the Boilermakers stand? Is it a fair spot?

Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) runs the ball. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

As he enters his second year in West Lafayette, Barry Odom is trying to change the narrative around Purdue football. But as the Boilermakers prepare for the 2026 season, there's some doubt about how much the program can grow in the coming months.

With spring practices in the rearview mirror, ESPN ranked every Big Ten team based on the offseason. Essentially, what is each team adding to the roster and what talent is departing from the program?

Despite seemingly improving its talent across the board, Purdue is ranked No. 17 among the 18 Big Ten teams in this power ranking. The only team the Boilermakers are in front of is Michigan State, which fired Jonathan Smith and hired Pat Fitzgerald to be the next head coach.

Here's the complete rundown from ESPN:

1. Indiana Hoosiers
2. Oregon Ducks
3. USC Trojans
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
5. Penn State Nittany Lions
6. Michigan Wolverines
7. Iowa Hawkeyes
8. Nebraska Cornhuskers
9. Minnesota Golden Gophers
10. Illinois Fighting Illini
11. UCLA Bruins
12. Washington Huskies
13. Northwestern Wildcats
14. Wisconsin Badgers
15. Maryland Terrapins
16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
17. Purdue Boilermakers
18. Michigan State Spartans

Is Purdue's No. 17 ranking fair?

Purdue Boilermakers tight end George Burhenn (81) runs the ball. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Admittedly, this is a tough question to answer. On paper, it appears Purdue made improvements at several positions during the offseason through the transfer portal.

The Boilers added Fame Ijeboi (Minnesota) and Jerrick Gibson to the running back room. They brought in veteran offensive linemen Boaz Stanley (South Carolina), Nuku Mafi (Oklahoma State), and a pair from USC in Makai Saina and Micah Banuelos.

Purdue is getting more experience in the secondary and along the defensive line. Across the board, this looks like a team that has a roster that can end an 18-game Big Ten losing streak. If a few bounces go the right way, the Boilermakers could compete for bowl eligibility.

However, it's hard to ignore recent history, even in an era where things can change overnight for a program. Purdue has won just seven games in the last three seasons and hasn't enjoyed a Big Ten victory since 2023.

You can't overlook those shortcomings, although Odom and his staff are only responsible for last year's 2-10 campaign and nothing related to the previous era.

Without question, Purdue has improved its roster from where it stood a season ago. Will it result in wins? We won't have that answer until September.

When will we really know about Purdue?

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom reacts to a play. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

By the end of September, we should have a pretty good understanding of what Purdue's capabilities are as a football team. The Boilermakers open the year on Sept. 5, hosting Indiana State at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Spoiler alert: you're not going to learn much from that outcome.

However, the following three games should give us a good understanding of where Purdue stands compared to other Big Ten opponents. In the next three games, the Boilers will host Wake Forest, travel to UCLA and return home for a matchup against Notre Dame.

That's a three-game slate against teams of various levels of success last season. Wake Forest finished last year with a 9-4 record, UCLA finished 3-9 and Notre Dame posted a 10-2 mark. How Purdue performs against those three opponents will provide us with a good expectation of what the team can accomplish over the next two months.

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