CFB Rooting Guide
Methodology

Purdue playoff odds

Purdue makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated 2026 seasons. Loading the week 11 guide…

Purdue playoff odds and who to root for

Updated November 8, after week 9.

Purdue is 3-6 (2-4 in the Big Ten) through week 9 of the 2026 season. It makes the College Football Playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons (ESPN's FPI: <0.1%), wins the Big Ten in <0.1% and wins the national title in <0.01%, with 3.6 projected wins.

That is the 109th-best playoff chance among the 138 FBS teams.

Who Purdue fans should root for in week 11

No other game this week has a significant effect on Purdue's playoff odds.

What Purdue needs

Even at 6-6, Purdue makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons.

WeekOpponentWin probabilityPlayoff odds after a winAfter a loss
Week 11at Iowa14.4%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 12vs Wisconsin38.3%<0.1%<0.1%
Week 13at Indiana6.8%<0.1%<0.1%

Purdue's playoff odds by final record

Regular seasonChance of that recordPlayoff odds
6-60.7%<0.1%
5-78.9%<0.1%
4-839.7%<0.1%
3-950.7%<0.1%

Purdue's results

week 1, beat Indiana State 44-19; week 2, lost to Wake Forest 36-38; week 3, lost to UCLA 38-52; week 4, lost to Notre Dame 10-49; week 5, beat Illinois 24-17; week 6, beat Minnesota 41-13; week 7, lost to Washington 26-38; week 9, lost to Penn State 17-31; week 10, lost to Maryland 29-34.

The Big Ten race

TeamWins the Big TenMakes the playoff
Indiana42.4%62.9%
UCLA20.8%67.0%
Oregon14.2%24.6%
Ohio State12.8%29.4%
USC6.0%13.0%
Iowa1.7%9.3%
Wisconsin1.6%1.7%
Illinois0.4%0.4%
Northwestern<0.1%0.3%
Minnesota<0.1%<0.1%

The Big Ten title race: every team, the likeliest title games and how ties are broken.

Questions

Will Purdue make the College Football Playoff?
Purdue is 3-6 and makes the playoff in <0.1% of 2.5 million simulated seasons, with 3.6 projected wins. It wins the Big Ten in <0.1% and the national title in <0.01%.
What does Purdue need to make the playoff?
Even at 6-6, Purdue makes the playoff in <0.1% of seasons.
Who should Purdue fans root for in week 11?
No other game this week has a significant effect on Purdue's playoff odds.
What is Purdue's toughest game left?
At Indiana in week 13, with a 6.8% chance to win.
How are Purdue's playoff odds calculated?
The rest of the season is simulated 2.5 million times. Each simulated season is rated, ranked by a model of the selection committee and played through the bracket. A game's impact is the difference in Purdue's playoff odds between the simulations each team wins it.

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