Each team desperately needs a victory to stay in contention for the Big Ten West title, and to bounce back from a humbling defeat last week. Nebraska was pounded at home 45-7 by No. 2 Michigan in front of more than 87,000 fans, the 392nd consecutive sellout in Lincoln. Illinois lost 44-19 at Purdue.

Nebraska (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) at Illinois (2-3, 0-2), Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)

Line: Illinois by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Nebraska leads 13-6-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Each team desperately needs a victory to stay in contention for the Big Ten West title, and to bounce back from a humbling defeat last week. Nebraska was pounded at home 45-7 by No. 2 Michigan in front of more than 87,000 fans, the 392nd consecutive sellout in Lincoln. Illinois lost 44-19 at Purdue.

KEY MATCHUP

Illinois’ turnover-prone and slow-starting offense against Nebraska’s defense. Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown seven interceptions, and the Illini have lost four fumbles. Illinois has scored just 10 points in the first quarter this season. Altmyer is Illinois’ leading rusher with 278 yards. Reggie Love III (258 yards) missed the Purdue game with a foot injury and will be a game-time decision Friday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nebraska: Virginia transfer Billy Kemp IV is a dangerous pass catcher who is tied for seventh nationally among active receivers with 209 career receptions. He has 1,967 receiving yards in his career. Kemp played in 50 games in five years at Virginia. He’s eligible to play this fall because the NCAA granted Virginia football players who were in their final year of eligibility an additional year. Kemp ranks No. 4 at Virginia in career pass receptions (192) and No. 10 in career receiving yards (1,774).

Illinois: Isaiah Williams leads the Big Ten in receptions (30) and receiving yards (446), and he’s tied for the most first-down catches (20) with Penn State’s KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Williams has at least one catch in all 30 games since he switched from quarterback before the start of the 2021 season, and at least three catches in 19 straight games. His 162 career receptions rank fifth all-time at Illinois.

FACTS & FIGURES

Illinois leads the nation with four blocked kicks (two on field goal attempts, two on punts). All-American Jer’Zhan Newton has the two field goal blocks. ... Nebraska’s trip to Illinois is the only road game for the Huskers in a six-game stretch. ... Nebraska won six of the first seven Big Ten games it played against Illinois, but the Illini have won three in a row since then. ... Illinois beat Nebraska 30-22 on Aug. 28, 2021 in the Huskers’ last visit to Champaign. That game was Bret Bielema’s first as the Illini coach. ... A fire Tuesday night in a maintenance area under the horseshoe portion of the seating area at Memorial Stadium caused concern mid-week, but a structural engineering firm inspected the area and declared it safe, according to an Illinois spokesman.

Expanding Big Ten weighs competition, rivalries, TV ratings and road trips to make football schedule

Weighing competitive balance, traditional rivalries, television ratings and some very long road trips, the Big Ten produced 262 versions of a football schedule to find the one that best fit its soon-to-be 18-team, bicoastal conference.

The Big Ten released five seasons’ worth of football opponents for each of its schools on Thursday. The conference adds Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington next year to a league that had all its schools in the Eastern and Central time zones.

The 2024 schedule will be highlighted by Oregon hosting Ohio State, Penn State at Southern California and Michigan going to Washington.

Big Ten Chief Operating Officer Kerry Kenny said the conference wants to have game dates for the 2024 season set by the end of October.

The Big Ten schedule will remain at nine league games and the conference next year will scrap its divisional format, which had already been determined before the latest expansion. The top two teams in the final standings will play in the conference championship game. Tiebreaking procedures will also be announced later.

The Big Ten had released opponents for the 2024 and 2025 seasons — the first with USC and UCLA — in June, but those needed to be torn up after the conference expanded West again in August with Oregon and Washington also leaving the Pac-12.

“Had to go back to the drawing board,” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said. “We're staying with a lot of the principles that were in place when we did the original announcement back with USC and UCLA being integrated."

Scheduling consultant Kevin Pauga said: “For the better part of eight weeks, the computer was running in some form or fashion."

The Big Ten calls its scheduling model Flex Protect XVIII, which locks in important annual rivalry games but doesn’t require every team to have the same number of protected games.

The 18-team model has 12 protected annual matchups: Illinois-Northwestern; Illinois-Purdue; Indiana-Purdue; Iowa-Minnesota; Iowa-Nebraska; Iowa-Wisconsin; Maryland-Rutgers; Michigan-Michigan State; Michigan-Ohio State; Minnesota-Wisconsin; Oregon-Washington; and USC-UCLA.

Teams will play every other conference opponent at least twice – home and away – during a five-year period, but no more than three times.

Notably, the West Coast schools are not guaranteed to face each other every season. In 2024, Oregon and USC do not play each other while Washington and UCLA play each of the other three former Pac-12 schools.

Kenny said various options were considered, but since there was not unanimity among the four new members about being locked into playing each other annually, the conference felt they would benefit from the wider exposure.

“We found over time that the best way to create a cohesive conference after you go through an integration process is to play each other more, not less,” Kenny said.

Washington's five conference road games in 2024 will include three trips into the Eastern time zone (Indiana, Rutgers and Penn State) and another to the Central time zone at Iowa, along with Oregon. Washington played a total of five regular-season games outside the Pacific and Mountain time zones from 2013-23.

None of the 14 incumbent schools will be required to make more than one trip to the West Coast in any season.

The conference used recent and historical results to try to balance degree of difficulty in scheduling. Kenny said teams were split into two groups of nine, then three groups of six, and finally six groups of three. He declined to identify which schools were grouped together.

The Big Ten is in the first year of seven-year deals with Fox, NBC and CBS that will pay the conference more than $7 billion. The league had to factor in the desire of those partners to air as many high-profile matchups as possible while avoiding overburdening the perennial powers.

“Our goal was to try and create those opportunities where we eliminated the outliers,” Kenny said. “So the hardest schedule and the easiest schedule on paper should all be around a consistent equator line as you look across all 18.”

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams next year, Petitti said strength of schedule should be a vital component to determining at-large bids.

"The league is incredibly strong," said Petitti, one of 11 members of the CFP management committee, “but with that comes the fact that that schedule has to matter when teams are qualifying for the postseason, and that’s our job.”

Terrapins' trip to No. 4 Ohio State should offer hint to how far they've come under Mike Locksley

Things to watch during Week 6 of play in the Big Ten Conference:

GAME OF THE WEEK

Maryland (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at No. 4 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0), Saturday, noon ET (Fox)

This is the ultimate measuring-stick game for Mike Locksley's Terrapins, who are out to their best start since 2001 but have played the nation's 120th-toughest schedule so far. They've scored at least 31 points in every game and won each by at least 18. Star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa will be going against an Ohio State defense that is allowing 255.5 yards and 8.5 points per game and coming off an open date. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day is 32-0 against unranked opponents.

BEST MATCHUP

Purdue (2-3, 1-1) at Iowa (4-1, 1-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (Peacock)

Iowa is a 1 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, even though it will have a first-time starting quarterback in Deacon Hill and a bunch of its players are banged up. Purdue has won two of the last three times it's visited Kinnick Stadium, and Ryan Walters will be looking to become the first Boilermakers coach since 1997 to win his Big Ten road debut. Purdue built confidence with its 44-19 win over Illinois last week.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Illinois' Isaiah Williams goes into Friday night's home game against Nebraska as the Big Ten leader in receptions (30) and receiving yards (446). ... Michigan has won 17 straight at Minnesota. The Gophers haven't beaten the Wolverines in Minneapolis since 1977. ... Rutgers has won 11 of its last 12 games when not committing a turnover. ... Northwestern is 32-11 at home in the last 10 years when scoring at least 20 points. ... Iowa hasn't allowed more than 400 yards in 19 straight games. ... Michigan is the least-penalized team in the country (18.6 yards per game). ... Nebraska is the team Illinois has beaten most often since 2020. The Illini will be going for their fourth straight win over the Huskers.

LONG SHOT

Rutgers is a 13-point underdog at Wisconsin, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Scarlet Knights lost 31-7 at No. 2 Michigan two weeks ago and rebounded with a 52-3 win over FCS foe Wagner. They will go against a balanced Wisconsin offense that's missing injured RB Chez Mellusi. Rutgers has allowed only two sacks and will need to continue to protect QB Gavin Wimsatt against a Badgers defense averaging three sacks per game.

IMPACT PLAYER

Minnesota needs more of the same from freshman RB Zach Evans, who ran for 85 yards on 15 carries against Louisiana-Lafayette with Big Ten rushing leader Darius Taylor out because of a leg injury last week. It's not known if Taylor will be back for Michigan at home Saturday. The Wolverines all but shut down Nebraska on the ground last week — 74 of the 106 yards allowed came on one run — and the Gophers will need a semblance of a rushing threat to keep it close.

HUSKERS OPEN 2023-24 CAMPAIGN AGAINST BUCKEYES

The Nebraska Rifle team will open its 2023-24 season against Ohio State this Saturday, Oct. 7. The match is slated to start at 8 a.m. and will be held at the Nebraska Rifle Range in the basement of the Military and Naval Sciences Building. Attendance is free for fans. The match will be streamed on the live video section of the rifle website and results can be found here.

The Huskers are ranked No. 6 in the preseason College Rifle Coaches Association (CRCA) rankings after finishing sixth at last year’s NCAA Championships. 

The faceoff with the Buckeyes marks the first of 12 regular-season matches for NU, eight of which take place during the fall portion of the season. Nebraska will have four regular-season matches during the spring, along with the PRC Championships and the NCAA Qualifiers and Championships.

“As always, we are looking forward to hosting OSU,” said Head Coach Mindy Miles. “As the only other Big Ten team, it’s nice to compete against them. I’m excited to see what the team will post for our first match.”

The Huskers have faced Ohio State 25 times and have won 17 of those matchups. In the most recent clash, NU defeated the Buckeyes 4,709-4,702 at the 2023 NCAA Qualifiers.

The Huskers return six of eight shooters from last year, including 2023 NCAA Smallbore National Champion Cecelia Ossi. The senior was a CRCA First-Team Smallbore All-American, Second-Team Air Rifle All-American and Third-Team Aggregate All-American in 2023. Over the summer, the Annandale, N.J., native won the USA Shooting Smallbore Championship and the CMP smallbore and air rifle titles. 

CRCA Second-Team Air Rifle All-Americans Emma Rhode and Vittoria Watts also return to the team. The sophomores both set a new Nebraska air rifle record last year when they shot 598s in the event.

Madelynn Erickson returns for her senior year after being named a CRCA Honorable Mention Smallbore All-American and setting personal bests in all three events in 2022-23.

Camilla Johannessen and Mackenzie Strauch also return to the team as significant contributors.

Freshman Charlie Mick earned a silver medal at the Colorado State Junior Olympics in overall air rifle, and was a 4-H state champion for multiple years. She came in third overall at the CMP regionals and fifth overall at the Dixie Doubles Juniors competition.

“Charlie will be making her debut as a Husker!” said Miles. “I am confident the rest of the team will pick up where they left off last year.”

NU also had a strong academic year in 2022-23. Ossi, Erickson, Strauch, Rhode and Johannessen were named CRCA Scholastic All-Americans, along with Elena Flake. Every member of the team was named to the Tom Osborne leadership team.

Following the match with Ohio State, the Big Red will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to take on No. 7 Air Force on Sunday, Oct. 15.

HUSKERS BEGIN SEASON WITH INTRASQUAD

The Nebraska Swimming and Diving team opens the 2023-24 season with the Scarlet vs. Cream Intrasquad meet on Friday, Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. 

The Huskers look to build on their success from the 2022-2023 season, where five school records were set. Freshman Gena Jorgenson shattered the 1,650 freestyle record with a time of 16:13.34, and sophomore JoJo Randby notched a 1:00.07 in the 100 breaststroke, breaking the record previously set by Olympian Penny Heyns.

Jorgenson, a rising sophomore, earned a spot at the 2023 NCAA Championships during her first season as a Husker. Emily Haimes and Maia Hall join Jorgenson on the Scarlet team. Co-captain Haimes helped the Huskers both in individual and relay events last season. She captured two ninth-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay at the 2023 Big Ten Championships. Haimes was a part of seven winning relays on the season and qualified for the A Final in the 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly at the Hawkeye invitational. 

Hall hit the NCAA B Standard Cut with a 2:10.76 in the 200 breaststroke at the Hawkeye Invitational, which was good for a third fastest time in Nebraska history. Gabby Donahue, Ellee Delcamp and Giulia Marchi complete the returners for the Scarlet, while the team will also feature Abby Baxter, Jenna Brown, Antonina Harned, Amelia Riggott, Beatrix Tanko and Anastasia Tichy as newcomers.

For the Cream team, co-captain Caitlin Cairns had a breakthrough junior season, setting career-best times in the 50 freestyle (23.39), 100 backstroke (56.73) and 100 butterfly (54.59). 

Sarah Barton and Randy will join Cairns on the Cream team, along with diver Kelsey Clairmont. Randby totaled nine top-three finishes and six NCAA B Standard Cuts in the 100 breaststroke. The Omaha-native qualified for the 100 breaststroke A Final at last year’s conference meet and placed seventh. Barton, a three-time finalist at the 2023 Big Ten Championships, placed 13th in the 400 IM and earned a NCAA B Standard Cut time (4:15.60). She also placed 18th in the 200 butterfly (1:59.46) and 21st in the 200 IM (2:00.82). 

Clairmont competed at the NCAA Championships and earned a 34th-place finish on the platform with a 214.00. Lexi Kucera, Madison Lloyd and Sydney McCracken round out the returners for the Cream team. Kucera led the Huskers to relay success last season as a member of seven winning relays, most notably a first-place finish in the 800 freestyle relay at the Hawkeye Invitational. McCracken had a strong performance at the Big Ten Championships qualifying for the 100 breaststroke and 200 breaststroke C Finals. 

Caterina Bisiacchi, Jordyn Schmucker, Anna Vlachou and Frankie Webb will take the pool on Friday as newcomers for the Cream team.

The Huskers open the regular season on the road for a double dual in Minneapolis against Minnesota and South Dakota on Friday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m.

Scarlet vs. Cream Intrasquad
October 6, 2023 (4 p.m.)
Devaney Center Natatorium

Order of Events    
200 Medley Relay
200 Free
200 IM
50 Free
3-Meter Diving
100 Butterfly
100 Free
500 Free
1-Meter Diving
100 Back
100 Breast
1-Meter Diving (swimmers)
50 Free (divers)
200 Free Relay

HUSKERS PREPARE FOR PURDUE FALL INVITATIONAL