Big Ten Revises The Nebraska Football 2020 Schedule (COVID-19 Style)

On Wednesday, August 5th the Big Ten Conference announced the augmented football schedule for 2020.

The big changes: Purdue and Wisconsin reverse as home games. (At Purdue and Wisconsin comes to Lincoln again.) The backended original schedule flips, with the big division games moving into September, and Michigan State becoming the Huskers tenth opponent.

For Nebraska, that gives the following dates and opponents:

9/5 - @ Rutgers

9/12 - Illinois

9/19 - Wisconsin

9/26 - @ Iowa

10/3 - Minnesota

10/10 - @ Ohio State

10/17 - BYE week (with Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin)

10/24 - @ Northwestern

10/31 - Penn State

11/7 - BYE week (with Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin)

11/14 - @ Purdue

11/21 - Michigan STate

11/28 - BYE week (entire conference; Thanksgiving weekend)

12/5 - Big Ten Championship Game

There are two bye weeks scheduled prior to Thanksgiving, which allows for flexibility in rescheduling division games. The Big Ten is also trying to get the regular season completed before Thanksgiving, which aligns with many schools who have already decided to not return to campus after the long holiday weekend. The Big Ten Championship Game remains on December 5, but since the SEC and Pac-12 have already moved their championship games to December 19, it theoretically allows for two additional bye weeks at the end.

The season opener at Rutgers is potentially one of the most at-risk games currently, as the Scarlet Knights are currently quarantined with 28 positive cases of COVID-19. Nebraska is also on New Jersey’s quarantine list as well, though that doesn’t apply to business travel.