Nebraska’s season keeps circling back to the same brutal question: what if the Huskers had finished just one of those games?
That’s the sting hanging over Lincoln after another fourth-quarter lead slipped away, this time in a Blackout loss to Washington on Saturday night. Nebraska is now 5-3 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten, and its faint College Football Playoff hopes are gone. More than that, the Huskers are left staring at a season that feels like a pile of missed chances.
The frustrating part is how close this all has been. Nebraska was supposed to be staring down a brutal stretch against national powers Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, with all three ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 Poll’s top six.
Instead, the Huskers led both Indiana and Oregon in the fourth quarter before losing those games. Now they’ve dropped three straight games and, just as painfully, three straight fourth-quarter leads.
Indiana doesn’t look like the dominant national champion it was billed as before the season. Oregon has been vulnerable too, sitting at 5-3 while quarterback Dante Moore has been out since an injury on Sept.
- Ohio State, meanwhile, stumbled at USC on Saturday night, losing 30-18 without injured starting quarterback Julian Sayin.
Nebraska had a path here. It just never finished the job.
That’s why Saturday night’s loss to Washington feels so heavy. The Huskers needed one play, one stop, one moment to seize control. Instead, the same theme showed up again.
Make a play. Make a stand.
Make a statement. And that just didn't happen.
Nebraska’s next shot comes Friday night at Illinois, with kickoff set for 7 o’clock CT on FOX. The Illini are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten after surviving Maryland, 20-17, with a fourth-quarter rally. Maryland, now 3-5 and 0-5 in the conference, was playing its first game under interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim after Mike Locksley was fired.
Illinois got starting quarterback Katin Houser back unexpectedly after a broken hand, and he went 18-of-32 for 223 yards and a touchdown. The Illini have now won three straight.
Around the league, Rutgers gave Michigan a fight before falling late, 28-21. The Scarlet Knights are 2-6 and 1-4, and they’ve already shown they can hang around with teams like USC and Michigan. Rutgers heads to Wisconsin next, while Michigan, now 5-3 and 2-3, hosts Michigan State.
USC delivered the weekend’s biggest statement, knocking off second-ranked Ohio State, 30-18. The Trojans are 7-2 and 4-2, and the win was a needed one for Lincoln Riley amid the week’s job-security chatter.
Buckeyes backup quarterback Luke Fahey, a true freshman, finished 21-of-38 for 260 yards and a touchdown. Ohio State now turns to Oregon.
Iowa may be finding its footing again after blasting Wisconsin, 30-0. The Hawkeyes are 6-2 and 3-2 after bouncing back from a 13-10 loss at Minnesota.
Wisconsin has dropped two of its last three and is 5-3, 3-2. Iowa goes to Northwestern next, while Wisconsin hosts Rutgers.
Michigan State was the only Big Ten team on a bye last week, and the Spartans are still searching for something to salvage their season. They’re 2-6 and 0-5 heading into a rivalry trip to Michigan.
Minnesota nearly pulled off a wild one against Indiana, only to lose in overtime, 23-16. The Hoosiers improved to 8-1 and 5-1 with their second straight overtime win, after beating Michigan in OT the week before.
The Gophers are 5-3 and 3-2 after Luke Drzewiecki drilled a career-long 60-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, only for Indiana’s Paddy McAteer to answer with a 60-yarder of his own on the final play. The Athletic called it the “best kicker duel in football history.”
Indiana is off this week, and Minnesota hosts UCLA.
Dylan Raiola helped Oregon rally past Northwestern, 34-26, with a fourth-quarter push. Raiola completed 22-of-31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns for the Ducks, who are 5-3 and 3-2.
Northwestern fell to 6-2 and 3-2. Oregon visits Ohio State on Saturday.
UCLA kept rolling with its eighth straight win, shutting out Nevada 27-0. The Bruins are 8-0 and 5-0 and head to Minnesota next. Nevada is 3-5.
Penn State snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Purdue, 31-17. The Nittany Lions are 4-4 and 1-4, while Purdue is 3-5 and 2-3. Penn State travels to Washington, and Purdue hosts Maryland.
For Nebraska, though, the weekend’s biggest result was the one that got away again.
In Other News...
Illinois Faces A Big Friday Test In Nebraska Rematch
Friday night brings a familiar Big Ten measuring stick for Illinois, with Nebraska heading to Champaign for a 7 p.m. kickoff on FOX and FOX ONE. It is the kind of matchup that tends to reveal a lot about where a team really stands, and the Illini will have the benefit of home field as they try to back up the progress they have made since these two teams last met.
That September 20 meeting in 2024 was a tight one, with Illinois edging Nebraska 31-24 in overtime after a game that featured strong showings from Luke Altmyer and Dylan Raiola. This rematch comes with the same kind of stakes and a little extra edge, because both programs know how thin the margin was the first time around and how quickly a Friday night can turn into a season-shaping result. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Have Found Another Intriguing Long Term Wing
Illinois may have added another long-term piece on the wing with the commitment of Zavier Zens, a 6-foot-7 forward who is set to join the program for the 2026-27 basketball season. His profile fits the modern mold Illinois keeps chasing: a player who can stretch the floor, handle the ball well enough to be useful in different spots, and bring a high basketball IQ to the table. Add in a high school rsum that includes three state championships and individual honors, and it is easy to see why the Illini staff is intrigued.
Zens still has work ahead of him before he gets to Champaign, and the path to minutes will not be easy once he arrives. Even so, he already gave a glimpse of what he can bring in a preseason exhibition game, where he turned in a promising performance that only added to the buzz around his future fit. For Illinois, it is the kind of commitment that does not just fill a roster spot, but hints at another versatile wing option down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Rhule's Emotional Nebraska Moment Adds Tension Before Illinois Matchup
Matt Rhule opened up this week about a painful moment away from the field, saying a fan directed profanity at his 13-year-old daughter after Nebraskas loss to Washington. The Nebraska coach said he intends to keep coaching through it, even as the pressure around the program has grown with the Cornhuskers mired in a rough stretch and trying to steady themselves in conference play.
Now Nebraska turns to Illinois after dropping three straight Big Ten games, and the backdrop around the matchup is more complicated than the standings alone. Rhules comments add a human layer to a team already searching for traction, with the next game carrying both the usual urgency of a conference test and the added weight of a program trying to move forward amid frustration. [Read more 🡒]