Nebraska Football 2026 Schedule: Full Breakdown and Season Outlook

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It was simple last season for Nebraska – beat the okay to meh teams, lose to the good ones.

The hope is for the team to be even better, but will the schedule work well enough to finally get past seven wins for the first time since 2016?

Below is our breakdown of the 2026 Nebraska slate.

Breaking Down Nebraska’s 2026 Football Schedule

Dec 31, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule gestures against the Utah Utes in the first half during the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Good

The Huskers should have three wins before getting up to speed – they’re not exactly pushing the envelope in the non-conference slate – and with Michigan State and Maryland to start, there’s a real chance to start 5-0.

The trip to East Lansing is the only road game before October 17th, but …

The Bad

There’s a ton of road work to do over the second half of the season.

The run of three road games in four dates hurts, and the season closes with four road games in the last six.

At Rutgers – there’s a shot that’s the only game out of the last seven that Nebraska is favored in.

What Big Ten Teams Nebraska Will Miss

Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin.

UGH. Sure, not playing Michigan, Penn State, and USC is good, but not getting Purdue hurts, and the Huskers getting Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon is a problem.

Nebraska’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: The Huskers are still alive for Ohio State

They rip through the first five games and are at least competitive in the back-to-back games against Indiana and at Oregon.

After beating Washington and getting past Illinois and Rutgers on the road, it all comes down to upsetting Ohio State in the home finale and beating Iowa on the road.

Or, in some way, shape, or form, they get to 10-2 and are off to the College Football Playoff.

Worst Case: Nebraska biffs in East Lansing

The Huskers lose the Big Ten opener at Michigan State, and then it’s a weekly struggle just to stay alive.

The four game-losing streak in the middle of the season puts the pressure on late, needing to beat Iowa on the road just to go bowling.

Nebraska Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 Ohio
Sept 12 Bowling Green
Sept 19 North Dakota
Sept 26 at Michigan State
Oct 3 Maryland
Oct 10 Indiana
Oct 17 at Oregon
Oct 24 OPEN DATE
Oct 31 Washington
Nov 7 at Illinois
Nov 14 at Rutgers
Nov 21 Ohio State
Nov 27 at Iowa

Games That Will Decide Nebraska’s Season

1. at Michigan State, Sept. 26
Lose the Big Ten opener, and there’s a big, big problem the rest of the way. Win, and there’s a great shot at a 5-0 start.

2. Indiana, Oct. 10
We’re well past the point of being amazed at who the new Big Red Machine is. If Nebraska wants to be a thing again, it has to pull off something big like this.

3. Washington, Oct. 31
With three of the last four games on the road, the Huskers need to roll the Huskies after getting a week off to prepare.

This story was originally published by College Football News on Jan 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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