Nebraska’s future non-conference schedules are starting to take shape, and Troy Dannen says the Huskers are already planning for a world where the playoff gets bigger and the pressure on strength of schedule gets louder.
Appearing on “Sports Nightly” on Monday, Dannen said a 24-team playoff could be coming as soon as next year. And if that happens, he expects the scheduling math around college football to change with it.
“From an AD standpoint, I feel 24, we're headed down that road as early as next year,” Dannen said on 'Sports Nightly' on Monday.
That shift, Dannen said, would make high-profile non-conference games even more important. He pointed to the fact that every league is now playing nine conference games and suggested the Big Ten may soon follow the lead of other power leagues by requiring a Power Four opponent outside conference play.
“I also believe that now that all leagues are playing nine conference games, and the Big Ten is maybe the league that doesn't have a requirement for a power-conference game outside the league, I firmly believe that we'll have that requirement coming.”
Nebraska is already acting like that future is close. Dannen said the program is working on two home-and-home series with Power Four opponents, including one against an SEC team. The goal, he said, is to build a schedule that keeps that level of opponent in place for years to come.
“I know we're working on two home-and-homes with Power Four teams to be added to our schedule. So that after we get through '27, we will have a Power Four team every year out through the end of the 30s on the schedule by the time we're done. That's going to be a "have to" for a lot of reasons.”
Right now, Nebraska’s future non-conference slate includes no Power Four teams in 2027, but the Huskers do have Arizona scheduled for 2028 and 2031, and Oklahoma set for 2029 and 2030.
Dannen also said a 24-team playoff would likely make FCS games harder to justify. He noted that those matchups would carry little weight in the selection process.
“An FCS game really is a non-factor when it comes to how it's weighed from a qualification standpoint,” he said. “I don't think you're going to be able to afford to have games like that on that schedule.”
Nebraska’s current future schedule does include FCS opponents in 2027 with Northern Iowa, in 2028 with South Dakota State, and again in 2030 with South Dakota State.
If the playoff format changes, Dannen said Nebraska will need to adapt accordingly to stay in position for an at-large spot.
“So we will have to adjust scheduling in a 24-team playoff. I'm virtually certain of that.”
He added that he would prefer as many regional games as possible, especially ones fans can easily travel to.
“Whether we have the opportunity to play old Big 12 rivals or not, but that's where the concentration is going to be focused as we look at non-conference games moving forward.”
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