As we attempt to fill the void the summer creates in the Purdue sports calendar, we've been giving passing mention to the upcoming Big Ten football schedules as the league integrates Maryland and Rutgers into the fold. The 2016 and 2017 schedules are now available, which strikes me as amusing since there's no way to know who will be in the Big Ten by 2017. Hell, Purdue could be visiting the Longhorns by that point.

However, as of now, we're looking at 9-game conference slates in those two years, beginning with the following for 2016, as the Boilers finally get acquainted with their new conference mates:

@Maryland, @ Illinois, vs Iowa, @ Nebraska, vs PSU, @ Minnesota, vs Northwestern, vs Wisconsin, @ Indiana.

For 2017, our boys come to my home state of NJ for the first time (yes, there will be a BS tailgate, assuming BS still exists in four years):

vs Michigan, vs Minnesota, @ Wisconsin, @ Rutgers, vs Nebraska, vs Illinois, @ Northwestern, @ Iowa, vs Indiana.

I know you're excited. I can feel it from here.