Two Big Ten programs stuck in the same purgatory — talented enough to dream, not disciplined enough to prove it — meet in Piscataway with matching chips on their shoulders.
Bush’s Picks
NEBRUTG
NEBRUTG
OverUnder
Best BetNebraska
Nebraska brings the more complete roster overhaul into this one, headlined by a proven transfer quarterback and a rebuilt offensive line, while Rutgers is still auditioning arms in fall camp. That gap in offensive certainty is the whole ballgame here. Back the Huskers to win outright as the more finished product by mid-November.
Nebraska
+Added proven transfer QB Anthony Colandrea from UNLV
+Overhauled offensive line with veteran transfer additions
+Program trajectory trending up in Rhule's 4th year
−Finished only 7-6, blown out in bowl game
−Must replace All-American RB Emmett Johnson
−Lost 2025 starting QB to season-ending injury
Rutgers
+Returns 1,000-yard back Antwan Raymond in backfield
+Downfield passing attack was a genuine 2025 strength
+Program stability under 17th-year coach Schiano
−Finished 5-7, 2-7 in Big Ten, declined bowl bid
−Defense was the clear weak link all season
−Starting QB job still unsettled between two newcomers
Nebraska walks into this one with a brand-new answer at quarterback. Anthony Colandrea, the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, transferred in from UNLV to replace a Huskers offense that got derailed last season when its starter went down for the year. Colandrea inherits a receiver room that already produced two 40-plus catch guys in Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr., plus a retooled offensive line built almost entirely out of the transfer portal.
Rutgers has its own quarterback puzzle, minus the portal splash. Dylan Lonergan came over from Boston College to push AJ Surace for the job, and whoever wins it inherits an offense that was actually the strength of the team in 2025 — a downfield passing attack that didn't turn the ball over, plus running back Antwan Raymond, who's projected for another 1,000-yard, double-digit-touchdown season. The problem was never scoring points. It was stopping anybody from scoring them back.
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NEB Nebraska
RUTG Rutgers
That defensive gap is the whole story of where these two programs sit right now. Nebraska is further along in fixing it — Matt Rhule is in Year 4 and installing a new defensive staff, with the goal shifting from bowl eligibility to actually competing near the top of the Big Ten. Rutgers, by contrast, is still searching for answers after a season that ended with the program turning down a bowl bid outright.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
The QB situations on both sidelines are worth watching heading into fall camp, since neither is fully settled. Colandrea has to prove his UNLV production translates against Big Ten defenses, and Nebraska still needs answers at running back after losing All-American Emmett Johnson — Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee are penciled in, but neither has carried a real workload yet. Rutgers, meanwhile, won't know its Week 1 starter for months, and a late-season trip against a hungrier Nebraska team is a tough spot to have that question still floating.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nov 6?@ Illinois—
Oct 30?vs Washington—
Oct 16?@ Oregon—
Oct 9?vs Indiana—
Oct 2?vs Maryland—
Sep 25?@ Michigan State—
Sep 19?vs North Dakota—
Sep 12?vs Bowling Green—
Sep 5?vs Ohio—
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Nov 6?@ Wisconsin—
Oct 30?vs Michigan—
Oct 16?@ Maryland—
Oct 3?vs Indiana—
Sep 25?vs Howard—
Sep 19?vs USC—
Sep 11?@ Boston College—
Sep 3?vs Massachusetts—
Recent form.
Nebraska finished 7-6 a year ago and got run off the field in the Las Vegas Bowl, 44-22 against Utah — a reminder that the ceiling still has a way to go before this program is truly back. Rutgers finished 5-7 and 2-7 in Big Ten play, a step backward that pushed Schiano to lean even harder on the passing game this offseason. By the time these two meet on Friday, November 13, both will have a much clearer picture of who they actually are — and this game could be exactly the kind of measuring-stick spot that decides bowl eligibility for one side or the other.
