Matt Rhule’s fourth Nebraska team gets a soft landing and a brutal finish. Three September home games at Memorial Stadium open the year, then the Huskers face defending national champion Indiana and CFP semifinalist Oregon in back-to-back weeks, and close with Ohio State on Senior Day and a Black Friday trip to Iowa. Seven home dates in all, and three of the final four on the road.
Several windows are already locked; the rest follow the Big Ten’s usual pattern of assignment 6-12 days out. This page is updated as times, networks, and results come in.
Games That Will Decide Nebraska’s Season
| Sept 26 at Michigan State | The Big Ten opener on the road against first-year Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald, who spent years tormenting Nebraska at Northwestern. A winnable game the Huskers cannot afford to drop. |
| Oct 10 vs Indiana | The defending national champions come to Lincoln. Memorial Stadium hasn’t had a bigger home game in years, and it’s immediately followed by the Oregon trip. |
| Nov 21 vs Ohio State | Senior Day against the preseason No. 1, and Nebraska’s only November home game. The high-water mark of the schedule. |
| Nov 27 at Iowa | Black Friday in Iowa City at 11 a.m. on CBS. The rivalry closes the year, and for a bubble team it may be the game that decides bowl positioning. |
How the Schedule Sets Up
Three home non-conference games in September — Ohio, Bowling Green, North Dakota — give Rhule a runway before the Big Ten opener at Michigan State. October is where the season is made or lost: Maryland for Homecoming, then Indiana at home and Oregon on the road on back-to-back Saturdays, with the lone bye immediately after. Washington on Halloween is a genuine trap, and then the schedule tilts on the road for the finish. Six wins is the realistic floor and nine the ceiling; whether that gets Nebraska anywhere near the bracket is a different question, and here’s how the College Football Playoff works under the 12-team format. The nine-game, no-divisions Big Ten format reflects the NCAA FBS shift toward deeper conference scheduling.
The Bottom Line
Seven home games, Indiana and Oregon back-to-back in October, Ohio State on Senior Day, and Black Friday at Iowa to close — Matt Rhule’s fourth Nebraska schedule offers a manageable start and an unforgiving November. Bookmark this page; times, networks, and results are updated throughout the season.