CHICAGO, IL — The Big Ten conference is moving forward with plans for a fall football season.

The conference announced its football schedule live on the Big Ten Network Wednesday morning. Big Ten football teams will play their scheduled nine conference games and add a cross-division game. The season is scheduled to start in the first week of September.

The Big Ten Championship game is pushed back to December 5. This means there are two empty weeks after the end of the regular season to allow for games to be rescheduled if needed.  The schedule is built so each team shares a bye week with its week three and four opponents.  Each team will have two bye weeks.

“(This schedule) affords us the best possible opportunity to be as flexible as we possibly can,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said.

Nebraska’s new cross-division game is a home game against Michigan State. The Huskers’ season opens at Rutgers on September 5. The Scarlet Knights team is currently in quarantine after a COVID-19 outbreak affecting at least 28 players and staff.

The Big Ten says all student-athletes will be tested twice a week for COVID-19. The conference could incorporate rapid testing for high-contact sports.  Once competition starts, testing will be managed by a third party.

“Testing is a critical component to the overall health and safety of our student-athletes,” Warren said. “Our goal is that, if we’re so blessed to be able to compete, our student-athletes will be healthy throughout the week and for competition.”

Other major conferences have announced 10-game schedules.  The SEC pushed back its season to September 26 and will play a conference-only slate. The ACC will allow each team to play one in-state out-of-conference game.

Huskers Football Schedule

9/5 - at Rutgers

9/12 - vs. Illinois

9/19 - vs. Wisconsin

9/26 - at Iowa

10/3 - vs. Minnesota

10/10 - at Ohio St.

10/17 - BYE

10/24 - at Northwestern

10/31 - vs. Penn St.

11/7 - BYE

11/14 - at Purdue

11/21 - vs. Michigan St.

12/5 - Big Ten Championship Game

The following is a joint statement from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green and Athletic Director Bill Moos regarding today’s announcements from the Big Ten Conference:

“We welcome these important steps forward for fall football from the Big Ten. There has been a tremendous amount of consultation and hard work to get to this point. It was a team effort with valuable input from the Big Ten Conference staff, University chancellors and presidents, head coaches and athletic directors to develop a football schedule that prioritizes divisional games and provides some needed flexibility.

“The top priority remains to conduct a football season in the safest and healthiest manner possible for everyone involved. There are still many steps ahead before we can take the field in September, beginning with opening preseason camp later this week. But there is no question this is an exciting day at Nebraska. Our players and coaching staff now have a schedule in front of them, and Husker fans can see how the 2020 season will unfold.

“Our next task is finalizing many of the details and protocols for football game days at Memorial Stadium in 2020. We will be announcing those details very soon after consultation with state and local officials. We want to especially thank Dr. Chris Kratochvil of UNMC for his work leading the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases. He has been immensely helpful in helping to guide the conference forward.

“Nebraska is getting closer to seeing our beloved Huskers take the field. We, and all of Husker Nation, very much look forward to our first away game on September 5 at Rutgers and our first home game the following week against Illinois.”