Curt Cignetti offered a smirk and a wink when asked about his archrival coach's recent comments about IU's scheduling philosophy. "I like Barry Odom," he started.

Barry Odom is trying to rebuild Purdue football after a disastrous 1-11 season led to the firing of previous coach Ryan Walters. Odom's preparing his team for a nonconference schedule over the first month of the season that includes games against Ball State, Southern Illinois and — gulp — Notre Dame.

"I could take the approach of one of the other schools in the state and cancel games ... but the schedule is what it is," Purdue coach Barry Odom said.