We’ve reached Friday which means it’s time for the staff to go on the record with picks for this weekend’s game. Drew is also working on a review of the Wake Forest roster so you can get a clearer picture of who it is Purdue will face. But, let’s get into the predictions. Let us know yours in the comments.
Ledman (1-0):
I’ve been pretty clear on this site and on our Twitter account that last week’s game against Indiana State did not fill me with great belief in this team’s capacity to truly do a 180 from last season. It’s just one game, but I ran a poll in The Feed to get everyone else’s take on it and it seems I wasn’t alone.
You can see that 61% of respondents gave the Boilermakers a C and I think that’s fair. Purdue played well for roughly 1 quarter of football but in that one quarter they looked fun didn’t they? That’s what we need to see for 4 quarters if Purdue is going to be taken seriously. All that out of the way, I do think these two teams are pretty evenly matched. If Purdue is going to win a lot of that is going to come down to controlling the clock and not making mistakes. That means it’s on Ryan Browne to not turn the ball over and for new starting RB Fame Ijeboi to control the game on the ground. Can both of them do it? I think they’ll keep it close but I’m skeptical they can seal the deal.
Purdue 28
Wake Forest 35
Travis (1-0):
Purdue has not defeated a power conference opponent in football since Indiana was bad. That gap is getting larger every day, and Wake Forest presents what is already a hinge game for the entire season. The Demon Deacons are on the same level as Purdue can reasonably get to: mediocre to pretty good and capable of winning 8-9 games. A victory suddenly means games like Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Maryland look a lot more promising. A loss is expected, and if Purdue gets blown out at home, the season becomes a lost one in a hurry. That said, Purdue gave up 19 points to a bad FCS team last week, while Wake Forest ran up over 550 yards on Akron. It was not encouraging to be up only 16-6 at halftime, so unless we’re dramatically better the wait for basketball season begins. Wake Forest 34, Purdue 14
Drew (1-0):
Am I super confident? Absolutely not.
Am I hopeful? Yes, despite everything this program has put me through,
Purdue’s run game and efficient passing from Browne allow Purdue to dominate time of possession. The secondary comes up with a pick, and the freshman kicker wins it at the buzzer. I’ll do a more in-depth breakdown in one of my articles, but this is the gist.
Purdue 24 – Wake Forest 21
Ryan (1-0):
I am going to air on the side of pessimism this year. Remember last year when we saw improvement from the team but they still didn’t look great against FCS team, Southern Illinois? That Purdue team went on to lose their next 10 games. Now, call it a product of the heat or first game for a lot of transfers, but Purdue did not look dominant against FCS team, Indiana State, last week outside of the third quarter. Wake Forest is a much more athletic and deeper football team than ISU so I just don’t see Purdue coming out of this game with a victory unless major strides have been taken. I hope the Boilermakers prove me wrong of course but I will believe it when I see it.
Purdue 17
Wake Forest 28
Casey (1-0):
Two probably flawed teams bolstered by easy first weeks come to Ross-Ade for some Saturday football. This might be an ugly game. Sloppy stretches, lots of yellow flags, and big plays based on opponent breakdowns. Browne got in just enough of a groove and Purdue will get the benefit of being at home with a chance to get to some people wins guess for them in just week two. That desperation to make an early splash will push Purdue ahead, 28-24.
Kyle (1-0):
Purdue enters Saturday’s matchup with Wake Forest facing its first real test of the 2026 season. The Boilermakers opened the year with a 44-19 win over Indiana State, but the score was a little misleading after Purdue struggled with penalties and red-zone execution early. Ryan Browne looked sharp, throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns, while the offense showed plenty of explosiveness in the second half. Wake Forest brings a similar 1-0 record after beating Akron 38-16, and quarterback Gio Lopez also had a strong opener with 350 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Purdue’s offense has enough firepower to put pressure on Wake Forest’s defense, and Browne could be the difference if he continues playing efficiently and avoids turnovers. The biggest concern for the Boilermakers is whether they can clean up the penalties and consistently slow down Lopez and Wake’s passing attack. Ultimately, I think home field gives Purdue just enough of an advantage in what should be a one-score game. Prediction: Purdue 31, Wake Forest 27.
Jed (1-0):
Well, this is where the rubber meets the road for this season. I know that it might be a silly statement in just game 2, but there really couldn’t be a better measuring stick for where exactly this program is under Barry Odom than hosting Wake Forest. Wake is, quite literally, as close to a parallel program as you could find outside of the BiG and being able to see exactly where they are as compared to Purdue is necessary if Purdue doesn’t want to continue being the BiG’s doormat.
Browne showed enough against ISU to warrant some reserved confidence from fans but what Fame Ijeboi showed is what should really excite Boiler fans. The transfer running back from Minnesota may be the best overall running back, from a talent and skill perspective, since Korey Sheets. That’s not an exaggeration because Purdue has really lacked top-end talent at that position for that long.
Defensively, Wake is going to challenge Purdue’s DB’s with a passing attack that flexed some muscle in week 1. That might concern fans, given what they saw ISU and former Purdue QB Brady Allen do in the fourth quarter: two long completions that led to two touchdowns.
This is the point that really marks the beginning of Odom’s tenure at Purdue, imo. He clearly wasn’t given what he needed last year and had to provide a total reset of everything from the ground up. Purdue needs this game to show some sense of improvement & if it can, watch the recruits start to buy in more.
I’ll be the ever-optimistic Purdue fan and say that the Boilers squeak one out at home to start 2-0. The question then becomes: will that be the last time Purdue notches anything in the win column for the remainder of the season?
BOILERS: 27
Wake: 23
