GoldandBlack.com Predictions: Purdue’s 2025 season opener vs. Ball State

Again this season, GoldandBlack.com shares its willy-nilly predictions and half-baked takes in advance of each of Purdue’s football games, starting with Saturday’s meeting with Ball State, the onset of the Barry Odom Era with the Boilermakers.

Scarred by years of predicting uncompetitive games and understanding of the modern gambling climate — please, bet responsibly and leave the damn athletes alone on social media, losers — we are incorporating BetMGM spreads into our predictions this season.

GoldandBlack.com members, share your predictions, no matter how stupid and inane, at Knucklehead Central.

Thoughts …

• Welcome to college football in 2025, where these rosters are all the mall at Christmas, people coming and going all over the place. The start of the season is inevitably about making sure most are pointed in the right direction. You don’t know or certain yet who’s playing to win, who’s playing for dough, who’s playing for portal tape and how many of these dudes will be on the phone with their agents or string-pulling trainers before they’re out of the locker room after the game. Managing all this stuff in football is impossible. It’s not a Purdue issue; it’s an everyone issue. But the biggest cause of optimism at Purdue is that Barry Odom and much of this staff has done this before and won. That’s why he’s here. Head coaching experience as it’s traditionally been known is one thing; Odom has modern head coaching experience, a different thing entirely.

• Purdue football has been beating itself way too long, even when it’s been successful. A great first step for this leadership group would just be for these teams to exhibit the properties of a solid. You don’t have to be Iowa, but you can tackle better, cut out inane personal fouls and trim maybe a half-dozen game-changing screw-ups per season. There are always going to be mistakes, but good, well-coached organizations aren’t defined by them. Purdue has been a gaffe-machine. And it’s this area where it’s most important to remember that the past has nothing to do with anything right now.

• This is the most scheme-dependent quarterback success will be at Purdue in years. It needs Ryan Browne to play well, to make good decisions, to make open throws, etc., but all of those things have to stem from a well-crafted, self-aware playbook and set of calls that highlight what he does well and conceals what he doesn’t.

• Conference play matters more to these buy-game opponents, so staying healthy (and keeping standouts off winter-portal radar) may be the priority, especially against a Boilermaker program that skipped to the top of the pile in terms of age and experience on the offensive line, which needs to be a difference-maker tomorrow.

Prediction: Purdue wins and covers, 31-13.

ALAN KARPICK, GOLDANDBLACK.COM PUBLISHER

The long wait is over for the Barry Odom Era to commence, and yet I am not much closer to having clarity on what we will see in Ross-Ade Stadium tomorrow, or for the remainder of the season. If one approaches it from a sense of wonderment, things could be intriguing. What “things” need to be competitive and full of max-out effort. If that happens, Purdue football will be worth watching from beginning to end in 2025.

My biggest question:  Does Purdue have anyone on its roster who will strike fear into a defensive coordinator?
Most important player: Ryan Browne…Isn’t that the only choice here?
Prediction: BetMGM has Purdue -17.5 and I see this one as Purdue 31, Ball State 16; so I am saying (if I were a better person, which I am not) take the Cards and the points. Over under at 49.5, I would take the under.

Purdue comes into Saturday with so many unknowns, right down to who will be starting at several spots. We have a general idea, but this is a clean slate for Barry Odom and the Boilermakers. Despite the upcoming venture into the unknown for Purdue, Ball State is in a similar position with over 50 newcomers and a head coach making his FBS debut.  Based on pure talent, Purdue has the upper hand. For that reason, I am going with the Boilermakers in big fashion over the Cardinals. 

My biggest question: How will Josh Henson call the offense against Ball State and beyond?
Most important player: Devin Mockobee
Prediction: Purdue 35, Ball State 10. (Boilermakers cover the -17.5 line)

TOM DIENHART, GOLDANDBLACK.COM FOOTBALL REPORTER

My thoughts …

• Must win for Purdue? I say “yes.” Style points don’t matter. Just get the ‘W’
• Hard, smart and tough. Big Ten schools should outclass MAC schools. Let’s see
• Football is about big plays. Can Purdue make some and prevent them?

Prediction: Purdue 31, Ball State 13.

– For Darrell Hazell, Jeff Brohm and Ryan Walters, their debut games foreshadowed the rest of their time at Purdue. Will the same go for Barry Odom?

– We’ve never seen anything like the roster turnover Purdue experienced. Season openers often see issues in tackling and communication. It will be a challenge for Purdue to overcome the newness and put together a crisp, clean game.

– A fast start would go a long way in building confidence. Purdue doesn’t need nervous energy building up inside Ross-Ade Stadium, both inside and outside of the white lines.

My biggest question: Can Purdue effectively throw the ball against a MAC-level defense?
Most important player: QB Ryan Browne. Purdue needs confidence, and strong play at quarterback tends to inspire it throughout the roster. Can he solidify the Boilermaker offense?
Prediction: Purdue 28, Ball State 14. I can’t quite get to Purdue covering the 17-point spread, but it gets the job done comfortably.