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Sandwiched between a pair of tricky road trips to the state of Illinois (Northwestern on Nov. 7, Illinois on Nov. 21) is Iowa football's penultimate home game of the season. 

The opponent waiting on the other side on that Nov. 14 day will be the Purdue Boilermakers, who will invade Kinnick Stadium for the first time in three years. 

Three years might as well be a lifetime in the ever-changing world of college football, but not much has changed for Purdue. The Boilers were one of the Big Ten's worst programs back in 2023, and they haven't even won a conference game since, going a combined 0-18 the last two seasons. 

This may be one of those games that Iowa fans already have marked as a win, but if there's any team that has spoiled things for the Hawkeyes over the past decade, it's probably Purdue. The Boilermakers upset then-No. 2 Iowa at Kinnick in 2021, and their wins in 2018 and 2020 played a massive role in the Hawkeyes failing to reach the Big Ten Championship Game. 

Iowa could very well be in College Football Playoff contention by the time this Nov. 14 meeting rolls around, but it's far too early to give you a full game preview.

We can instead offer a late August look at Purdue, so here you go. 

The Coach 

At the forefront of this Boilermakers rebuild is head coach Barry Odom, who is entering his second season at Purdue. Considering the awful state of the program he inherited, Odom's 2-10 mark last season wasn't surprising, but the folks in West Lafayette are certainly expecting some improvement from their team in 2026. 

Luckily for Purdue fans, this isn't Odom's first time leading a rebuild. He previously served as UNLV's head coach for two seasons and engineered one of the most successful periods in school history. The Rebels hadn't made a bowl game in 10 years prior to Odom's arrival, but Odom won 19 games and led them to the Mountain West Championship Game in both of his seasons there. 

UNLV won 10 games and reached a second consecutive bowl game for the first time in program history in 2024, and Odom departed for Purdue after the title game loss. 

Odom also spent four seasons as the head coach at Missouri (25-25 record) so he's got all of the experience necessary to return the Boilermakers to respectability. 

Key Returners 

Purdue's roster is filled with transfers, but one returning piece is does have to rely on is quarterback Ryan Browne. In an era where most starting quarterbacks at the Power Four level are on their second or third program, Browne has stayed the course and played for the Boilers for his entire career. 

There was a brief semester stint at North Carolina, but Browne was back in black and gold by the 2025 season, where he threw 2,153 yards and nine touchdowns. The 10 interceptions were a problem, but an offseason of developing in offensive coordinator Josh Henson's system could fix that. 

Purdue's offense posted 18.8 points per game in 2025, so there's going to have to be many players to step up for that number to go up in 2026. 

Key Newcomers 

The most logical names that could be key contributors for this Boilermaker offense are wide receivers. Xavier Townsend comes over from Iowa State after collecting 243 yards on 18 receptions there, but the most-anticipated transfer of this entire class could be Asaad Waseem. 

Waseem, who spent his first year at Colorado under Deion Sanders, was a star for what was otherwise a bad Florida Atlantic team in 2025, tallying 699 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore. There's going to be a learning curve as he goes up against Big Ten players, but Waseem's speed should help provide explosiveness to this offense. 

But the real question in West Lafayette right now is the defense, which is slowly improving under Odom's leadership. Purdue still allowed over 30 points per game last year, but guys like Illinois transfer Jojo Hayden (26 tackles) and San Diego transfer Tre Moore (61 tackles, six sacks) are great additions for this group. 

Season Outlook 

The Boilermakers are likely heading towards another losing season in 2026, but getting rid of that dreadful Big Ten losing streak is very likely. Games against UCLA and Maryland are winnable, but it's hard to see Purdue getting to six wins because of a very difficult schedule that includes Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Penn State, and archrival Indiana on it. 

This doesn't seem to be the Boilermakers of old, though. This is a well-coached team that is desperate for any sort of relevance, so Iowa can't overlook this one. 

You Can Win FREE Tickets To Iowa's Season Opener! 

HawkeyeRoundtable is giving away TWO tickets to Iowa's season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5! 

This is easily the biggest giveaway we've ever done on this site, and it's a great opportunity for two lucky fans to experience the joy of attending a Hawkeye football game at Kinnick Stadium. 

Click here to automatically become a member to enter the contest! Additional contest details can be found in our community section, too! 

HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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