Purdue football coach Barry Odom looks to his biggest rival for hope

CHICAGO − Purdue football is seeking a program turnaround not many think is possible.

The Boilermakers are projected to finish last in the Big Ten for a third straight season.

Purdue enters the year having gone winless in the league the past two seasons.

To dig out of that ditch, Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom said Purdue and programs in a similar situation can find inspiration in the defending national champion — Boiler rival Indiana.

"Coach (Curt) Cignetti and his entire department did such a tremendous job on taking that over and elevating that to where they are today," Odom said during Wednesday's Big Ten Media Days. "I think that gives, if you look at the landscape of college football, it should give every player, every coach and every fan base hope, vision and belief that it can happen.

Indiana had a combined nine victories in the three seasons preceding Cignetti's hire ahead of the 2024 season.

The Hoosiers are 27-2 since, with last season's 16-0 season backing a College Football Playoff appearance the previous year.

While it's not an exact blueprint everyone can follow, it showed there's a model for instant success among struggling programs under the current landscape of the sport.

"It sped things up for everyone," Odom said. "But you also look at how they pieced it together. It worked for them. It's not the same for every team and program.

"We certainly feel strongly about how we built this roster going into the year, and also understand if we get the opportunity of playing meaningful games in the month of November, and you get a chance to play with extended time, anything can happen."

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football coach Barry Odom looks to his biggest rival for hope