The Purdue Boilermakers have added the Western Illinois Leathernecks to their 2028 football schedule, FBSchedules.com has learned.
A copy of the game contract was obtained from Purdue University via a state public records request.
Purdue will host Western Illinois at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind., on September 2, 2028. The Boilermakers will pay the Leathernecks a $450,000 guarantee for the game, according to the copy of the contract.
In their first and only meeting on the gridiron, the Boilermakers defeated the Leathernecks 31-21 on September 11, 2010 in West Lafayette.
Western Illinois is a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Leathernecks have made 12 appearances in the Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs, most recently in 2017.
The addition of Western Illinois tentatively completes Purdue’s 2028 non-conference football schedule. The Boilermakers are also scheduled to play at Wake Forest on Sept. 9 and host Notre Dame on Sept. 23 that season.
Purdue now has four future non-conference games scheduled against FCS opponents. The Boilermakers are slated to host the Indiana State Sycamores in 2022, 2024, and 2026.
Purdue is the first scheduled non-conference opponent for the Western Illinois Leathernecks for the 2028 season.
Other future Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponents scheduled for Western Illinois include Oklahoma State (2020), Ball State (2021), and Minnesota (2022).
Football Schedules
What possible incentive does Western Illinois have to schedule this game nine years in the future at what are basically 2019 prices?
2019 contract, Maine at Boston College in ’22, $400K
2019 contract, Stephen F. Austin at Tex. Tech in ’21, $525K
2019 contract, Long Island at W. Virginia in ’21, $475K
2019 contract, Alcorn State at Auburn, $475K