The worst a top-five team can see on their schedule is an upcoming showdown against Purdue. No. 3 Michigan State learned that the hard way Saturday.
The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, with unranked Purdue winning 40-29 at home for their second win over a top-five team this season. It was also Purdue’s 17th win against a top-five opponent as an unranked team, the most among FBS teams.
Earlier this year, Purdue defeated No. 2 Iowa 24-7 on the road.
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This has become something of a topic for the Boilermakers. In 2018, Purdue defeated No. 2 Ohio State 49-20 as an unranked team, handing the Buckeyes their only loss of the season and ultimately dooming their college football playoff chances that season.
This is only the second time Purdue has defeated multiple top-five opponents as an unranked team in the show’s history. The last time the Boilermakers beat multiple enemies in the top five was in 1960, when they defeated No. 3 Ohio State before subsequently defeating No. 1 Minnesota.
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Here’s a look at all the times they accomplished this homeless feat.
| Year | adversary | Score |
| 2021 | No. 3 Michigan State | 40-29 |
| 2021 | No. 2 Iowa | 24-7 |
| 2018 | No. 2 Ohio State | 49-20 |
| 1998 | No. 4 State of Kansas | 37-34 |
| 1984 | No. 2 Ohio State | 28-23 |
| 1976 | No. 1 Michigan | 16-14 |
| 1974 | No. 2 Notre Dame | 31-20 |
| 1970 | No. 3 Stanford | 26-14 |
| 1964 | No. 5 Michigan | 21-20 |
| 1961 | No. 1 Iowa | 9-0 |
| 1960 | No. 3 Ohio State | 24-21 |
| 1960 | No. 1 Minnesota | 23-14 |
| 1958 | No. 5 Michigan State | 14-6 |
| 1957 | No. 1 Michigan State | 20-13 |
| 1953 | No. 3 Michigan State | 6-0 |
| 1950 | No. 1 Notre Dame | 28-14 |
| 1947 | No. 5 Illinois | 14-7 |
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And Purdue might not be finished. Next week, the Boilermakers will travel to Columbus to face No. 5 Ohio State, which beat Nebraska this week.
Following Michigan State’s loss, Ohio State could now be in a position to move up into the top four. The Buckeyes will have to keep an eye out for spoilermakers looking for another possible surprise.
