It’s been announced that our beloved Husker football team will begin the 2021 season in Ireland against Illinois. The date is August 28th, 2021.

Two years away - so that gives you all a chance to save up your money so you can fly to Ireland, drink a crap-ton of Guinness, get put in jail and miss the game.

I have never been to Ireland. I wouldn’t mind going. Perhaps I’ll put together a GoFundMe so you guys can send ME to Ireland where I can do photos and videos and live twitch sessions with interviews of Irish people. I promise to make it interesting. (Note that with this statement I am not promising to go to jail.)

Interesting items:

• The last time Nebraska played outside the US was against Kansas State in 1992. Our beloved Huskers won 32-24. Most of you probably weren’t even alive then, so it’s certainly time to leave the country.
• The “5 Star” package is $4,785. 8 Nights - August 24th to September 1st.
• The lowest package is $3,410. Also 8 nights, but you probably have to sleep in a barn. I’m kidding, for crying out loud, you probably get a less expensive hotel where you’re around low-life Husker fans - probably the best choice if you’re a member of the CornNation community.
• From the web site: Game tickets are ONLY available through official travel and hospitality packages. Purchase your package today for the best available seats!
  This means riffraff like me have a very low probability of ruining your trip. Isn’t that nice?
• It also says this: Only looking for a game ticket? Individual game tickets will become available in early 2021 through Nebraska Athletics and in Ireland. Click here to sign up for game updates and pre-sale ticket access.
  You know them damn game tickets will be gone by then. If you can’t afford a travel package, I’d plan on going, then getting a Husker fan so bloody drunk they can’t see and then just use their tickets somehow. Am I advocating theft? Uh.. well, I am assuming you compensated them in Guinness. Or Harp.
• What I know about Ireland... I like Guinness. They have castles. They are haunted. Everyone can drink like a fish and still function. Everyone in the United States gets to be Irish for one day a year, and it’s mostly bloody awful because few people look good in green.
• The timing is this release is perfect. Instead of sitting around moaning about the Minnesota butt-kicking, you can all think about what it’d be like go to Ireland in 2021. We might be a good team by then. Optimists are thinking that. Pessimists are wondering who our coach will be by then. Be an optimist!

The complete press release is below, because you need travel information that you will find towards the bottom:

Huskers, Illinois to Open 2021 Season in Ireland

Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos, and Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman, in partnership with Irish American Events Limited, announced Monday that the 2021 Nebraska-Illinois game will be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The game will open the 2021 season and will be played on Saturday, Aug. 28.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium will be the second game in a new five-game series of college games in Dublin. The first of those games will be a season-opening matchup between Navy and Notre Dame in 2020.

“Playing a game in Ireland provides another way to spread the Nebraska brand, and in this case on an international stage,” Moos said. “We are always looking for new scheduling opportunities and when this was presented, Coach Frost and I decided this would be an experience of a lifetime for the student-athletes in our program. This will also be a great trip for our fans, and knowing how Husker fans travel it will be great to see Dublin, Ireland turned Red.”

Nebraska was originally scheduled to play at Illinois on Nov. 13, 2021. The matchup in Dublin will be Nebraska’s first game outside of the United States since the Huskers took on Kansas State in the 1992 Coca-Cola Bowl in Tokyo, Japan.

“We look forward to taking our team to Ireland to kick off the 2021 season against Illinois,” Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost said. “This will provide great exposure for the Nebraska football program and the Big Ten Conference. Our first priority for the trip will be to play a football game, but it is also going to give our players a chance to visit a part of the world most of them will not have seen.”

The Nebraska-Illinois game in Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus Football Classic will bring great excitement to Ireland, according to Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

“It’s great to see new teams getting involved in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic,” Varadkar said. “Tens of thousands of fans are expected to make the journey for each game in the series over the next five years, bringing with them a huge boost for the economy.

“Illinois and Nebraska players and fans can look forward to the best of Irish hospitality. The series will showcase Ireland as a location for international events and tournaments and put our world-leading tourism sector front and centre. The 2020 game between Notre Dame and Navy is fast approaching and now sports fans have another great occasion to plan for in 2021.”

In addition to taking on Illinois in Ireland in Week Zero, Nebraska also announced the completion of its 2021 non-conference schedule on Monday.

The Huskers will take on Southeastern Louisiana of the Football Championship Subdivision on Nov. 13, 2021, in Lincoln. The Huskers will play the Lions at Memorial Stadium on the previously scheduled date of the game at Illinois. Last week, Nebraska announced that it had moved a previously scheduled 2021 non-conference game with Northern Illinois to the 2027 season.

Ticket and Travel Packages

Official travel and hospitality are now available for the ultimate experience which include exclusive game tickets. Choose from a variety of destinations including Dublin, Galway and County Kerry, courtesy of Anthony Travel. All packages include hotel accommodations, Husker welcome party, excursions and much more. Learn more and secure your exclusive premium game tickets with a low deposit of $250 per person by visiting Huskers2Ireland.com.

The Aer Lingus College Football Series will have a very strong Irish-American influence. Not only will there be the usual college football fanfare with lots of fun events celebrating the red, white and blue including marching bands, cheerleaders and tailgating parties, but there will also be a great celebration of the close Irish-American links that are so highly valued. The teams will compete each year for the Keough-Naughton College Football perpetual Trophy, acknowledging the contribution to Irish-American society of Don Keough and Martin Naughton.

Organizers and Sponsors

The game will be organized by Irish American Events Ltd., which is a joint venture between Anthony Travel and Corporate.ie, which have been involved in college football games in Ireland previously. The other key partners who will drive the game in both Ireland and America are Failte Ireland, Tourism Ireland and Dublin City Council. Further details can be found on collegefootballireland.com.