Nebraska is bracing for a schedule shakeup in 2027 as the expected move to a 24-team playoff pushes the Huskers toward a different kind of nonconference plan.
Athletic director Troy Dannen said Tuesday on “Sports Nightly” that the change is coming fast enough that Nebraska is already making adjustments. In his view, the move to that playoff format is “imminent,” and that means the Huskers are planning for a future in which power-conference teams are required to play 10 games against Power Four opponents.
Nebraska already has that structure in place for the next decade, with one exception: next year.
“Our schedule will change next year,” Dannen said Tuesday during a “Sports Nightly” appearance. “We’ve talked to all of our nonconference opponents and told them that we’re going to end up dropping a game and picking up a Power Four game.
And we may need you to move weeks. The game in Kansas City may not be Miami of Ohio when it’s all said and done.”
For now, the Big Ten is sorting through the details. Dannen said five conference schools do not have a 10th Power Four game lined up for next year, which has created a broader scheduling puzzle.
“So the Big Ten is working through that right now. I’ve had three or four conversations about different opponents.
And it’s not necessarily just people that don’t have the 10th Power Four game. There may be some wheeling and dealing to get other matchups set, freeing someone else up and putting that together.”
Dannen made it clear he wants the situation settled sooner rather than later. He doesn’t like the uncertainty around the schedule, and he wants the picture cleared up before the holiday stretch.
“But I would certainly hope by the time we get to Thanksgiving weekend that all of this is put to bed and we’re going to have a little bit different schedule than we thought a couple months ago.”
There’s also the reality of Memorial Stadium’s renovation, which will leave Nebraska down 20,000 seats next year. That changes the financial math, especially with the Huskers already working with a schedule that had included eight home games.
“And so we had eight home games. One of those we took to Kansas City because the gate, and the extra of being a larger venue, was going to help us meet the bottom line financially.
But I think all bets are off right now. I still expect to have eight home games, and we still need to meet our budget.
But there’s a buyout that’s going to have to happen because of an opponent, and someone that’s coming in here is probably not going to want to come in here as a one-off. It may be the front end of a home-and-home.”
That leaves Nebraska weighing several possible paths, including whether traveling would make more sense than playing at a neutral site. Dannen said there are a lot of moving parts to sort through.
“And whether we’re better off traveling next year or going neutral. There’s just so many different permutations.
I would look forward to having a little bit more meat on the bone when it comes to scheduling next year with our home schedule even though we are going to be down some seats ... It’s a year where we have five Big Ten home games.
I wouldn’t mind having one more here at Memorial Stadium.”
In Other News...
Holgorsen Just Made Nebraskas Offensive Priority Much Clearer
Dana Holgorsen spent part of Nebraskas bye week making the offensive priorities feel a little more straightforward. The Cornhuskers have leaned on quarterback Anthony Colandrea for steady effort and leadership even through the recent losses, and Holgorsen made it clear that he views those traits as part of the foundation. The bigger issue, at least from the coordinators perspective, is getting the offense to play cleaner and more consistently around him.
As Nebraska turns back toward game prep, the focus shifts to areas Holgorsen wants sharpened most, especially the running game and more reliable play from the receivers. Colandrea has also acknowledged he needs to elevate his own play to better help the group, which puts the burden on more than one part of the offense as the Cornhuskers try to reset coming out of the break. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Blackout Is Becoming Something Much Bigger For Husker Fans
Nebraskas Blackout is no longer just a one-night gimmick. Athletic director Troy Dannen said the Huskers will make it an annual event, and this years version against Washington is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff, giving the atmosphere a prime-time stage that should fit the look and feel the school is building around it. Dannen also pointed to new field design elements tied to the event, while tying the presentation to the bigger picture of a program he said has made competitive progress under the current coaching staff.
The Blackout announcement was part of a broader afternoon of news around Nebraska athletics, including word that longtime Husker basketball announcer Kent Pavelka will retire after this season. For football fans, though, the annual Blackout adds another layer to a home schedule that now has a defined signature game, and one that Nebraska clearly wants to turn into a recurring part of the identity around Memorial Stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Walks Into A Tougher Nebraska Test Than Oregon Saw
Nebraskas defense spent the bye week looking back as much as looking ahead, with coordinator Rob Aurich addressing the late-game issues that have cropped up in recent losses, including the 17-14 defeat to Oregon. He said the Huskers used the time to self-evaluate and hold each other accountable, a sign the staff knows the margin for error has been thin when games get into the stretch run.
Now comes Washington, and Aurich pointed to a fresh wrinkle in the matchup: the Huskies have shown two different quarterbacks, which means Nebraska has to prepare for more than one look. The bye appears to have helped sharpen some things on the defensive side, but the next test will be whether that work translates against an offense that can change shape on the fly. [Read more 🡒]