Nebraska Gets the Friday Night Football Treatment

Nebraska and Illinois will be meeting for a Friday game for the third time in the last decade. The two teams faced off in 2017 and 2023. The pair of games in Champaign were both won by the Huskers, 28-6 and 20-7, respectively.

The two programs also faced off in an odd Week Zero matchup in 2021. That contest, also in Champaign, was won by Illinois, 30-22.

NU is 14-7-1 all-time against Illinois. However, it has been the Illini of late, winning four of the last five. The last matchup between these two came in 2024 in Lincoln and went to Illinois, 31-24.

Nebraska will enter the game presumably more rested than Illinois. In the two weeks leading up to the meeting, the Huskers are off before hosting Washington on Halloween. The Illini, who have their off week on Oct. 17, host Oregon and travel to Maryland in the lead-up to hosting Nebraska.

This will mark the fifth straight season for Nebraska to play multiple Friday games. Besides the annual Black Friday contests with Iowa and the 2023 and 2024 matchups with Illinois, NU has also played Friday night games at Rutgers (2022) and at Minnesota (2025).

During the COVID-19-interrupted 2020 season, Nebraska closed the year with a 28-21 win at Rutgers on Friday, Dec. 18.

In the last decade, Nebraska is 4-2 in Friday games against teams not named Iowa. Only one of those games was played in Lincoln.

Under Matt Rhule, Nebraska is 1-2 in non-Black Friday, Friday games.

Kickoff times and television information for a number of Nebraska's games, including the first three weeks of the season, Homecoming, special dates, and Black Friday, are expected by the end of May.

FOX College Football Friday Games

Nebraska isn't the only Big Ten team that will be called upon to play in a non-traditional Friday contest this fall. All four West Coast teams will play in such games, along with Northwestern, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa, Purdue, and Michigan State.

Illinois, Northwestern, and Washington are being asked to play two such games in 2026. USC is the only Big Ten team playing a non-conference game on one of these Fridays.

The last three College Football Playoff national champions - Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio State - are not among the Friday games. Neither are Minnesota, Rutgers, Wisconsin, or Maryland.

• Friday, September 4: Fresno State at USC (9pm ET, FOX)
  
• Friday, September 25: Northwestern at Indiana (8pm ET, FOX)         
  
• Friday, October 2: Penn State at Northwestern (8pm ET, FOX)           
  
• Friday, October 9: Iowa at Washington (9pm ET, FOX or FS1*)
  
• Friday, October 16: Washington at Purdue (8pm ET, FOX)
  
• Friday, November 6: Nebraska at Illinois (8pm ET, FOX)
  
• Friday, November 13: Illinois at UCLA (9pm ET, FOX)
  
• Friday, November 20: Oregon at Michigan State (8pm ET, FOX)

*TBD pending MLB Postseason.

Nebraska Football 2026 Schedule

• Sep. 5 vs. Ohio
• Sep. 12 vs. Bowling Green
• Sep. 19 vs. North Dakota
• Sep. 26 at Michigan State
• Oct. 3 vs. Maryland
• Oct. 10 vs. Indiana
• Oct. 17 at Oregon
• Oct. 31 vs. Washington
• Nov. 6 (Friday) at Illinois 7 p.m. FOX
• Nov. 14 at Rutgers
• Nov. 21 vs. Ohio State
• Nov. 27 (Black Friday) at Iowa

Home games are bolded. All times central.