Nebraska gets its first real test of the Matt Rhule era's new-look offense at home, against a Bowling Green team still trying to find itself after a rough 2025.
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OverUnder
Best BetNebraska
Nebraska is the clear pick here on pure talent and roster depth. Bowling Green is coming off a 4-8 season with a bottom-tier offense, and even with a fresh quarterback in Novosad, that kind of gap rarely closes in one offseason. The Huskers should be able to win this comfortably even while working out kinks with a new QB and a rebuilt defense.
Bowling Green
+Dendy averaged 98.6 rush yards per game in 2025
+Defense held tough non-conference slate to 24.3 ppg
+Novosad brings power-conference experience from Oregon
−Went 4-8 in Eddie George's first season
−Offense ranked 124th nationally, 306.8 yards per game
−New starting QB still finding chemistry with weapons
Nebraska
+Added Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year at QB
+New DC's prior defense ranked 11th nationally in total D
+Reinforced offensive line with three transfer additions
−Rhule just 19-19 through three seasons in Lincoln
−0-10 vs top competition over that span
−Brand-new scheme on both sides needs time to gel
This one's less about who wins and more about what Nebraska looks like doing it. The Huskers handed the keys to Anthony Colandrea, the Mountain West's reigning Offensive Player of the Year who transferred in from UNLV, and the hope is his legs and improvisation finally unlock the explosive plays that have been missing in Lincoln. Bowling Green counters with its own QB reset, having brought in Austin Novosad from Oregon to try to fix an offense that was one of the worst in the country a season ago.
The bigger question for Nebraska might be on defense, where Rhule blew things up this offseason, firing coordinator John Butler and D-line coach Terry Bradden and scrapping the 3-3-5 look entirely. New coordinator Rob Aurich brings a 4-2-5 scheme fresh off an SDSU unit that finished 11th nationally in total defense, and Week 2 is an early gut check on how fast it installs against an outmatched but not toothless Bowling Green attack.
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BGSU Bowling Green
NEB Nebraska
Bowling Green isn't walking in empty-handed. Sophomore running back Austyn Dendy was a legitimate problem last year, averaging 98.6 yards a game in just five contests after transferring from Missouri, and the Falcons actually played solid defense in 2025, holding a slate that included Louisville, Cincinnati and Liberty to 24.3 points a game. Eriq George, the coach's son, is one of the better pass rushers MAC fans don't know yet.
Still, the roster gap here is wide. Bowling Green went 4-8 in Eddie George's first season, and an offense that managed just 306.8 yards a game isn't an easy fix overnight, even with a new starting quarterback. Nebraska, meanwhile, enters as a program under real pressure to show growth beyond back-to-back bowl trips — Rhule sits at 19-19 through three years, and the Huskers are 0-10 over that stretch against Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC and Indiana. Bowling Green isn't in that class of opponent, which is exactly why this game matters for Nebraska's floor, not its ceiling.
Bowling Green Falcons
Sep 5?vs Tarleton State—
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Sep 5?vs Ohio—
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The story here is less rivalry and more roster math, but that doesn't make it meaningless. A clean, fast start against a MAC team that's still finding its footing is the kind of game that either validates the offseason overhaul or raises fresh questions before conference play against Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State starts complicating things.
