2024 Purdue football predictions: Ranked No. 88 by RJ Young

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College Football

Updated Aug. 11, 2024 5:52 p.m. ET

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RJ Young

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

Purdue Boilermakers Ranking: 88/134

[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 17th in Big Ten (+30000 to win conference)

Teams ahead of them: Illinois (87), Wake Forest (86), Boston College (85), Wyoming (84), Washington (83)

Team behind them: Virginia (89), Air Force (90), Pittsburgh (91), Georgia State (92), Washington State (93)

[Purdue 2024 schedule]

RJ’s take: Filed under wild but true: Purdue has more wins against AP No. 1- and No. 2-ranked teams as an unranked opponent (9) than any other program among the 134-member FBS. Two of those historic wins came during the fun and torrid Jeff Brohm era, which featured a 2022 team that finished in the Big Ten title game and with the odd record of 8-6.

This is also true of the Boilermakers: They have not won 10 games in a season since 1979. Current head coach Ryan Walters hopes Year 2 of OC Graham Harrell and transfer QB Hudson Card might double Purdue’s win total from a year ago. But with games against Notre Dame, at Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State, winning six games would be cause for celebration in West Lafayette.

Defensively, Dillon Thieneman was the second-best true freshman safety in the entire country. Caleb Downs had 107 tackles at Alabama. Thieneman had 106, six INTs and two forced fumbles.

Purdue’s Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+135) Under 4.5 (-160)

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