Nebraska’s path through a season full of uncertainty could end with a pretty appealing reward.
Two ESPN writers, Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach, projected the Huskers to reach bowl season in their latest look at every 2026 bowl game, and both of Nebraska’s possible destinations come with plenty of intrigue.
The safest takeaway for Nebraska fans is simple: the belief is that the Huskers will win at least six games and become bowl eligible. With a schedule that features the three Big Ten powers and four other conference games that could swing either way, that matters.
And if Nebraska is going to spend another year in the Big Ten’s middle ground - not quite ready to chase a conference title, not stuck near the bottom either - then a third straight bowl trip would at least give the program some momentum. The Huskers are trying to build on back-to-back 7-6 seasons, and after seven consecutive losing seasons and a 29-41 record this decade, slow progress may be the clearest route forward.
The flashiest projection is the Las Vegas Bowl, set for 2:45 p.m. CT on Thursday, Dec.
- That would send Nebraska back to Vegas after last season’s loss to Utah, only this time with Oklahoma on the other sideline.
Bonagura has the Huskers facing the Sooners, and that’s the kind of matchup that jumps off the page. For plenty of fans, Oklahoma remains Nebraska’s biggest rival, even if realignment has pulled the two programs into different worlds. For years, that Thanksgiving weekend game carried national weight and national attention, with real consequences attached to the result.
Schlabach’s prediction is different, but no less interesting. He slots Nebraska into the Citrus Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., for a 6:30 CT kickoff on Dec. 26 against UCF and Scott Frost.
That one comes with its own built-in drama. Frost, a former Nebraska star as both a player and coach, went 16-31 in four-plus seasons leading the Huskers. He never posted a winning year in Lincoln, and his best season produced five wins in 2019.
For Nebraska, either projection would qualify as a pretty tasty postseason draw.
In Other News...
UCF Has Two Intriguing Depth Pieces Fans Should Watch This Camp
UCFs offseason depth chart has a couple of names worth keeping in mind as camp approaches, and both speak to how much roster building now depends on finding useful pieces before the spotlight ever hits. Keyone Jenkins arrives from Florida International with three seasons of starting experience, giving the Knights a steadier option in the quarterback room behind the presumed starter, while Aymeric Koumba brings a different kind of intrigue after spending his first year in Orlando learning the college game and getting into nine contests.
Jenkins gives UCF a fallback plan at the games most important position, the kind of insurance that can matter over a long season if injuries or inconsistency force the staff to adjust. Koumba is more of a developmental bet on the edge, where experience and technique usually determine how quickly a player can climb. For now, both are depth pieces, but camp will be the first real chance to see whether either can push for a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Two New UCF Additions Could Change Key Roles In 2026
UCFs 2026 roster is starting to take shape with a couple of additions that could matter in ways that do not always show up on a depth chart. Running back Landen Chambers arrives after a breakout 2025 season at Central Arkansas, and the Knights are already talking about him as more than just another body in the room. The appeal is his versatility, which gives UCF another useful piece as it sorts through its backfield plans for the coming year.
On the other side of the ball, EDGE rusher Ken Talley brings a different kind of value. A transfer from Michigan State with previous experience at Penn State, Talley comes in with the kind of background that tends to carry weight in a position group built on pressure, technique and confidence. Mike Dawson has pointed to Talley as a mature presence in the EDGE room, and for a program trying to firm up key roles before 2026, that sort of voice can matter almost as much as production. [Read more 🡒]
Horace Lockett Is Giving UCF A Reason To Believe Up Front Again
Horace Lockett has become one of the more interesting names around UCFs defensive front as the Knights move through fall camp and into the build-up for the 2026 opener. The redshirt senior defensive tackle gave the program a much-needed anchor up front with his work in 2025, and theres a growing sense around the team that the line is trending in a better direction after a stretch that tested its depth and consistency.
Scott Frost has already pointed to improvement along the defensive line during camp, and Lockett is a big reason the conversation has started to shift. There is still a layer of uncertainty attached to his recent path, though, after the injury that cost him most of last season and sent him to surgery. If UCF is going to keep building real belief around its front, how Lockett handles the next step may matter as much as anything else on the roster. [Read more 🡒]