Purdue drops Notre Dame from 2027 schedule in favor of West Virginia

College football fans in the Midwest will see a change in non-conference matchups for the 2027 season. Purdue announced on Tuesday that it will pause its long-standing football series with Notre Dame. The Boilermakers will replace the Irish on their schedule with West Virginia.

Tommy McClelland, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Purdue, cited the upcoming expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams as a driving factor. He stated that schools will need to play 10 regular season games against power conference opponents. McClelland said adding West Virginia helps achieve the goals of head coach Jeff Brohm, referred to in the announcement as Coach Odom.

The last time Purdue faced West Virginia was on Sept. 21, 1996. The Boilermakers lost that contest 20-6. The teams had met once before that, on Sept. 2, 1995, when Purdue won 26-24.

McClelland emphasized that the rivalry is not being permanently retired. He noted that Purdue and Notre Dame have played 90 times in program history. The schools will reevaluate the series for potential inclusion in future schedules.

Purdue has two other non-conference games set for 2027. The team will host UAlbany on Aug. 28 and Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 11.

Notre Dame responded shortly after the Purdue announcement. The Irish added a home-and-home series with Illinois, another Big Ten school. The teams have not played since 1968. Illinois will visit Notre Dame on Sept. 4, 2027. The Irish will travel to Champaign for the return game on Sept. 2, 2028. Notre Dame holds an 11-0-1 all-time record against Illinois.