Purdue Football Among Teams With Longest-Active Top 25 Drought
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Purdue is on the wrong side of a top 25 drought. BetMGM recently released a list of teams with the longest active droughts from the Associated Press poll, and the Boilermakers, unfortunately, made the cut.
It has been 58 weeks since the Boilermakers were last ranked in the AP top 25. Purdue was last ranked on Nov. 8, 2021, following a 40-29 win over No. 3 Michigan State. Following the victory, the Boilers jumped up to No. 19 nationally under coach Jeff Brohm.
The following week, though, Purdue dropped a 59-31 contest to No. 4 Ohio State and fell out of the top 25. The Boilermakers have not been ranked since that time.
It is a little surprising that Purdue didn't end the year in the top 25, finishing the regular season with an 8-4 record and wins over No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Michigan State. The Boilermakers also defeated Tennessee in a bowl game to close out the year 9-4.
The next year, Purdue won its only Big Ten West title, going 8-4 in the regular season. At no point in the season did the Boilers ever crack the Associated Press poll. They would lose the Big Ten Championship Game to Michigan and then lose to LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
Purdue then finished 2023 with a 4-8 record and went 1-11 in 2024 under Ryan Walters.
The only good news? Purdue's 58-week drought from the AP poll isn't the longest active drought in college football. Here's the complete rundown:
- Rutgers — 201 weeks
- West Virginian — 100 weeks
- Stanford — 98 weeks
- Maryland — 97 weeks
- Cal — 95 weeks
- Virginia — 85 weeks
- Northwestern — 66 weeks
- Virginia Tech — 63 weeks
- Purdue — 58 weeks
- Auburn — 55 weeks
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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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