In the wake of the Big Ten's announcement to move to conference-only games for football, we look at what's next.
1 - If it's 10 games, who will Nebraska add?
If indeed the Big Ten is moving to a 10-game conference only schedule, who will Nebraska add?
What we know now is the Big Ten West is already on the road for five scheduled Big Ten games, so in theory, every West Division school will add a home game vs. the East.
NU's no-plays in 2020 are Michigan State, Michigan, Maryland and Indiana. There has already been some speculation MSU could be who the Huskers draw for game No. 10.
2 - Will the season start on time, early or late?
There are lots of thoughts on what direction this might go. Does it make sense for the Big Ten to start things early and play on Week Zero? Or could the league choose to start a week later?
An on-time start on Labor Day weekend seems like the logical move today, but I also get the idea of starting on Week Zero and getting as many games in as possible before the calendar turns to October and November.
I like the idea though of playing a 10 game schedule over 13 or 14 weeks. That gives you a lot of flexibility, and even the possibility to have a make-up date later in the year if COVID-19 gets in the way.
3 - Will there be a conference title game? Bowl games?
We know the Big Ten will play an all-league schedule in 2020. What we don't know is will there be a Big Ten title game in December, and will there be bowl games?
I would guess the Big Ten and their main television partner FOX plan to move forward with a championship game. If the league wants to get as much money as possible from their TV rights deal, they are going to need a championship game.
As for bowl games, it's hard to see them going on this year. They rely on ticket sales, full stadiums and thousands of traveling fans.
Also with budget cuts across the board, I cannot see schools loading up planes full of staff members to go on week-long bowl trips at four and five-star hotels. It will be interesting to see what happens with bowl games outside of the College Football Playoff.
Bowl season may have more of an old school feel this year, where only the high profile games take place.
4 - What happens to Nebraska's non-conference opponents?
We know the Big Ten will not play any non-conference games in 2020. So what happens to those games and contracts?
This is a devastating blow to the Group of Five, as all of their budgets are set from these games. On top of that, we won't see schools like Iowa and Iowa State play. We also lose out on Ohio State at Oregon and Michigan at Washington among others.
One idea I have is how about in 2021 and 2022 the NCAA makes a special exemption. Allow schools to play a 13th game on Week Zero. This would allow Power Five schools to make up for lost home game revenue and then still play the Group of Five or FCS schools they were supposed to play in 2020.
5 - Will the order of games change on the schedule?
We should know Nebraska's new schedule by the end of July. What will it look at that time?
Right now, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the league plans to prioritize divisional games first, so expect to see a heavy dose of the Big Ten West opponents right out of the gate.
NU is already scheduled to open with Purdue. One would think that opener would still stay intact.
