Some trophies look like they were designed in a marketing meeting. The Old Oaken Bucket looks like it was dragged straight out of a barn and into a fistfight. That is exactly what makes the Indiana vs. Purdue game different from almost every other rivalry in college football. This thing feels personal. Indiana’s 66–0 win in 2024 did not erase Purdue’s long dominance in the Old Oaken Bucket series, but it changed the temperature of the rivalry in a big way.
A Rivalry Older Than the Bucket
Indiana and Purdue started lining up against each other way before the trophy ever existed. The first meeting was on November 14, 1891, when Purdue smoked Indiana 60–0. The two schools have met 126 times and played every year since 1920.
Purdue still owns the all-time edge:
- Purdue leads the series 77–43–6
- The Boilermakers also lead the Bucket series 63–33–3 (since the trophy was introduced in 1925)
It is not just that Purdue has more wins. They have some outrageous blowouts. The largest margin in the series is 68–0 (Purdue in 1892). This rivalry was tilted hard toward West Lafayette for a long time.
How the Old Oaken Bucket Showed Up
The trophy appeared in1925 when alumni from both schools agreed the rivalry needed a physical symbol. They settled on an old wooden bucket with metal bands and a growing chain of brass “I” and “P” links to mark each winner.
Since then, the Old Oaken Bucket has turned every game into a legacy check. The teams are not just playing for a win…its about your letter on that chain. Generations of fans and players stare at those letters every November.
Purdue’s Long Control
For decades, Purdue used the Bucket as almost a permanent decoration.
- Longest win streak: Purdue 10 straight (1948–1957)
- Longest unbeaten streak: Purdue 14 games (1948–1961)
They’ve won big at home, on the road, and even at neutral sites:
- Home wins: Purdue 40, Indiana 22
- Road wins: Purdue 36, Indiana 21
- Neutral wins: Purdue 1, Indiana 0
Indiana has had its own flashes, including four-game runs from 1944–47 and 2013–16. However, it is the Hoosiers who were usually chasing and not controlling the rivalry.
The 66–0 Shockwave
Last year, in Bloomington, No. 10 Indiana didn’t just beat Purdue. The Hoosiers destroyed Purdue, 66-0.
That game rewrote a chunk of the record book:
- Most points by Indiana in the series: 66 (2024)
- Largest margin of victory for Indiana: 66 (2024)
- One of the most lopsided results in the entire rivalry
For a matchup where Purdue once delivered a 68–0 beating, Indiana finally answered with a score that will live on every time the Bucket comes out of the case. The Hoosiers’ blowout did not do much to the all-time numbers, but it changed the vibe. Purdue still leads, but now every stat line has a massive crimson asterisk with that 66–0 final.
Indiana now carries the current win streak: 1 (2024–present). For such a small detail on paper, it is actually a huge psychological edge going into the next chapter.
Recent Old Oaken Bucket Results
Here’s how the last decade of Bucket games has gone:
- 2015 – West Lafayette: Indiana 54–36
- 2016 – Bloomington: Indiana 26–24
- 2017 – West Lafayette: Purdue 31–24
- 2018 – Bloomington: Purdue 28–21
- 2019 – West Lafayette: Indiana 44–41
- 2021 – West Lafayette: Purdue 44–7
- 2022 – Bloomington: Purdue 30–16
- 2023 – West Lafayette: Purdue 35–31
- 2024 – Bloomington: No. 10 Indiana 66–0
Purdue still leads the all-time series 77–43–6, but that recent list shows how often these games swing momentum.
Next Up: Friday, November 28, 2025
The next chapter is already circled. Friday, November 28, 2025. Same Bucket. Same letters on the chain. Same fan bases who pretend it is just another game until they see that wood and metal raised in the air.
It is a chance for the Hoosiers to validate that 66–0 win. The Boilermakers want revenge and to remind everyone that the series still leans black and gold on paper.
When the Old Oaken Bucket is on the line, it’s not the records that walk out of the tunnel and onto the field. Pride does.
Prediction
Hoosiers roll into Ross-Aide and take their second bucket in a row. 45-10.
Thank you for reading my Old Oaken Bucket article. For more college football coverage, visit the Pete Sports NCAA page and the Homepage. Follow @peter_maiorano and subscribe to the YouTube channel. Featured image credit: Peter Maiorano. Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.
