How Nebraska Can Play Twelve Games

Last night, was a bit of a mess. Nebraska completely botched their home opener after being unprepared for severe weather that rolled through Lincoln. Lightning delayed the game over two and a half hours before the game was cancelled. Akron had already checked out of their hotel, and they ran to their plane before the game was even officially cancelled. Now the Huskers only have 11 games on the schedule, and getting to a bowl looks more challenging than ever.

The good news for Nebraska is that there is a way for the Huskers to get back to 12 games. It might require Bill Moos to pay up more money, but it is in the best interest of Nebraska.

The first option is to find an eligible opponent during the Huskers bye week. There is an option that comes to mind for the Huskers here. It is facing the East Carolina Pirates.

Here is how this would work. Nebraska would buy out East Carolina playing a non-conference game against the Old Dominion Monarch’s. Old Dominion and Akron would then play a non-conference game instead on September 29th. ECU would have their buy on September 29th, and would schedule the non-conference game against the Huskers on October 27th.

While the Huskers could pull that off, I would rate it as unlikely. Nebraska will probably want a bye week during the year. The Huskers have to go to Ohio State after their bye week as well.

The other option for Nebraska is that they could schedule a game for the weekend of December 1st. Nebraska has about six teams that they could pick from to play this weekend as well.

Teams that have not played a full 12 games are eligible, as well as teams that have made a trip to Hawaii and have not played 13 games. Current teams that would fit for this weekend are the Iowa State Cyclones, South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Akron Zips under the first rule. Under the Hawaii exemption, teams that would fit include Wyoming, Nevada, Utah State, and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Husker fans would cherish a game against Iowa State, but how much would Bill Moos have to pay for the Cyclones to come to Lincoln? South Dakota State will most likely be involved in the FCS playoffs as well. Akron has no interest in this point in coming back to Lincoln it seems.

Most logical it would seem would be to pay a boatload of cash to one of the Mountain West teams and have them come to Lincoln for their 13th game. Wyoming and UNLV would most likely be two of the more attractive options.

The most talked about option would be for the Huskers and Cyclones to hook up in a showdown of teams that had their first game cancelled. Nebraska and Iowa State should seriously consider playing at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Chiefs are at the Raiders the first weekend of December, and it would provide another opportunity for Husker fans to experience something unique.

The ball is now in Bill Moos court. He screwed up last night pretty bad. He failed to have a backup plan when it was obvious the game would not be played last night. No one had secured hotel rooms when it was clear the weather was an issue, and communication was at best shaky. When the university police department is the first official news out of the entire university, it is not a great look.

The Huskers have options though and that is never a bad thing. Here is to hoping we play a full 12 game season this year.