Purdue football season to begin on a Friday night, has late kick for Big Ten game

Purdue football's 2026 season will start even earlier than originally scheduled.

The Boilermakers' opener against Indiana State will move up one day to Friday, Sept. 4. The 7 p.m. kickoff will be broadcast on BTN.

Purdue also announced a noon kickoff against Wake Forest on Sept. 12, on FS1. The Sept. 19 road game at UCLA will kick off at 11 p.m., also on BTN.

The Indiana State game marks Purdue's first non-Saturday season opener since opening the 2022 season on a Thursday against Penn State. Wake Forest also opens on a Friday, giving the Boilermakers an equal number of days to prepare for their meeting.

The game against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl is the programs' first meeting since 1980 and first in Los Angeles since 1979.

Insider: 3 takeaways from 2026 Purdue football schedule

Purdue football schedule 2026

• Sept. 4 — Indiana State, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network
• Sept. 12 — Wake Forest, noon, FS1
• Sept. 19 — at UCLA, 11 p.m., Big Ten Network
• Sept. 26 — Notre Dame
• Oct. 3 — at Illinois
• Oct. 10 — Minnesota
• Oct. 16 — Washington, 8 p.m., Fox
• Oct. 31 — at Penn State
• Nov. 7 — Maryland
• Nov. 14 — at Iowa
• Nov. 21 — Wisconsin
• Nov. 28 — at Indiana

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football schedule kickoff times, TV channels announced for early games