For folks who were upset at weak Nebraska ‘26 and ‘27 non-conference schedules forced by financial considerations due to the Memorial Stadium upgrades and renovations, new circumstances appear to have forced changes to the slate for next season – and for the better.
One from the group of Miami OH, Northern Iliinois and Northern will likely be dropped in order to make way for another Power 4 opponent. The driving force behind this decision? It is the likelihood that the CFP’s expansion from 12 to 24
teams (which the dominant majority of college football fans do not want, but that’s the subject of a different article) will be voted in and take effect for the 2027-8 season.
Per Dannen, it is expected that this expansion will come with a commitment to annually playing 10 Power Four opponents. Currently, the 2027 schedule has only their nine Big 10 Conference foes.
Quick interruption: I don’t know how easily this will pass. If 10 P4 opponents are required, then this will effectively eliminate 70 of the 138 FCS teams before the season starts (The P4 has 67 teams if I counted correctly.) The auto bids to the 24-team field are expected to be the P4 conference champs (with conference championship games eliminated) and the highest-ranked Group of Six team. Since it would be mathematically impossible for any non-P4 team to play 10 P4 opponents – well, you see where I’m going with this.
It would have the 67 P4 teams competing for 23 spots and the other 71 competing for one. I’m not arguing for either side here, just observing it might be cause for some lively discussion on the matter, a discussion which would have those 71 G6 teams holding a majority come voting time. Is it perhaps an intentional strategy to force D1 more quickly to a growingly-inevitable Super League type of situation where the smaller and never seriously competitive teams are dropped? Maybe?
If nothing else, a 24-team field should forever eliminate the need for any auto-bid consideration as far as Notre Dame is concerned.
But back to Nebraska.
I think most fans would have no problem with a adding a P4 game even if things somehow get hung up and the 24-team CFP fails to pass in time to be implemented next year. And what better slot in which to slide them than perhaps the Arrowhead Stadium game, currently with Miami slotted in. Dannen addressed that as a possibility.
“We’ve talked to all of our non-conference opponents and told them that, you know, we’re going to end up dropping a game and picking up a Power Four game. We may need you to move weeks. The game in Kansas City may or may not be Miami of Ohio when it’s all said and done.”
One thing to keep an eye on may be other Power 4 schools without 10 P4 opponents currently scheduled. If we seem them all following suit to make the same adjustment, it can likely be assured that 24 teams will be happening next season.
And just think of the financial demands potential P4 opponents could make on the last couple of schools who have to add that final game.
