Purdue will have a rare road game to open Big Ten play, as the Boilermakers begin conference play at Northwestern on Friday, Dec. 1.

For the second straight season, Purdue will have only 4 home games in its first half of the league schedule, before having the bulk of its home games in February, as the Boilermakers and the B1G announced the conference schedule on Tuesday.

It’s the first time since the 2017-18 season that Purdue will open B1G play on the road. The Boilermakers will then play host to Iowa on Monday, Dec. 4.

In the previous 6 years under the current format, Purdue went 2-0 just twice (2017-18; 2022-23).

On Jan. 2, the Boilersmakers travel to Maryland and then returns home to play host to Illinois on Jan. 5, before a road game at Nebraska on Jan. 9, and a meeting in West Lafayette against Penn State on Jan. 13.

The Boilermakers will then begin their only two-game road trip on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at Indiana and Saturday, Jan. 20, at Iowa.

The first half of the Big Ten schedule will be on Jan. 23 when it hosts Michigan, and then Purdue heads to New Jersey on Sunday, Jan. 28, to play Rutgers.

The home stretch of conference play begins with Northwestern in Mackey Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 31. After a game at Wisconsin on Feb. 4, Purdue returns home for its only two-game league homestand, by hosting Indiana on Saturday, Feb. 10, and Minnesota on Feb. 15.

A trip to Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 18, and a home game against Rutgers on Thursday, Feb. 22 comes before a stretch against the Wolverines and Spartans. The Boilermakers travel to Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 25, then will have 6 days in between a key March 2 (Saturday) meeting with Michigan State in Mackey Arena.

Purdue closes out the regular season on Tuesday, March 5, at Illinois and on Sunday, March 10, when it hosts Wisconsin on Senior Day.