Early-morning alarms are going to be your best friend when the Huskers’ 2021 season gets started this fall.
The Big Ten conference announced a number of kick times and TV designations for the upcoming season on Thursday, and Nebraska will play in the early afternoon for three of its first four games.
Its Week 0 season-opener against Illinois on the road is set to kick off at 12 p.m. CT on FOX. The Husker-Illinois game is one of only five FBS games in Week Zero and the only conference matchup that week.
For the home-opener, Nebraska will host FCS opponent Fordham at 11 a.m. CT on BTN. It’ll be Fordham’s first meeting with a Big Ten program since 1941 and the first time playing a member of the Power Five since 1954, TV demand for this one was understandably low. Nebraska had hoped that by moving what was previously scheduled as a late-year game against another opponent to the bye week after its Illinois game, adding a home game to the first half of the schedule when previously there was only one in the first month of the season, it could enjoy a decent recruiting weekend early in the calendar. But early morning kickoffs are notoriously rough for recruits traveling from outside the area.
Nebraska will then play Buffalo at home on Sept. 11, with kickoff in that game scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on BTN. Buffalo will be breaking in a new coaching staff as the head coach who last season led the program into the top 25 late in the year has since departed to become the new head coach at Kansas. The Bulls, who went 6-1 last season, ended the year at No. 25 in the final AP Poll.
The Huskers’ much-anticipated Sept. 18 matchup with long-time rival Oklahoma is set to be televised at 11 a.m. CT on FOX as the network’s Big Noon contest. Fox also announced on Thursday that it will bring its Big Noon Kickoff pregame show to Norman for that game. Nebraska and Oklahoma are meeting for the first time since the 2010 Big 12 Championship game, the Huskers’ final contest as a member of the Big 12.
Though a TV designation wasn’t announced, a kick time for Nebraska’s homecoming matchup with Northwestern on Oct. 2 was set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Night kicks at Memorial, and a Northwestern team Nebraska has hung close with for years? Let’s get weird.
Additionally, Nebraska’s Nov. 20 game at Wisconsin will be televised by one of the networks in the ESPN/ABC family with kickoff time determined later.
Finally, the annual Black Friday matchup with Iowa will kick off at 12:30 p.m. CT on Nov. 26 with television coverage provided by BTN.
The remaining kick times and TV designations are expected to release in the coming weeks.
Plan Accordingly 🎈☠️https://t.co/r8UvBF0tGb#GBR /// #TheGoodLife pic.twitter.com/Rykqzrh9nC
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFBNation) May 27, 2021
