The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have an eye on a 4-0 start to the 2026 college football season. The Purdue Boilermakers are the only thing standing in their way. On Saturday, the Irish are making their first road trip of the season as heavy favorites. But in a season with unbelievable upsets already on the books, you never know what kind of drama could be lurking.
Notre Dame is a 27.5-point favorite as the No. 3 team in the country. They beat Wisconsin and Rice handily in their first two games but had a shakier time dispatching Michigan State last week, 27-10. The Irish led 17-10 at halftime and relied on their defense to blank the Spartans in the second half while CJ Carr and the offense managed just 10 points.
Things might get a bit easier for Notre Dame's offense facing a Purdue defense that's given up 528 yards and 45 points per game to FBS opponents this year.
Purdue is 1-2 with their only win coming against FCS Indiana State. Losses to Wake Forest and UCLA have raised serious concerns about their defense. However, their offense scored 36 and 38 points in those two outings, led by junior quarterback Ryan Browne. In last year's road loss to Notre Dame, the Boilermakers scored 30 (while the defense gave up 56). So if Purdue wants to make things uncomfortable for the visitors, it's likely going to hinge on their passing game unlocking the Notre Dame defense that has allowed 134.66 yards through the air per game.
Notre Dame vs. Purdue kicks off at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock. If you don't have a subscription, you can keep track of the score, play-by-play, stats and more right here.
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