Washington heads to Lincoln with the Big Ten's clearest playoff hopes on paper, but Nebraska's got a shiny new engine under center and something to prove after three years of near-misses under Matt Rhule.
Bush’s Picks
WASHNEB
WASHNEB
OverUnder
Best BetWashington
Washington's the side with the proven, battle-tested starter, and that matters against a Nebraska team breaking in a new quarterback, new receivers' rapport, and a retooled offensive line all at once. The Huskies' skill-position losses are real, but a returning dual-threat passer with a full offseason in the building is still the safer bet to win outright on the road against a program still finding its footing.
Washington
+Demond Williams Jr. returns, full command of Fisch's offense
+Coming off 9-4 season, LA Bowl win, CFP buzz
+Widely seen as having Big Ten's most favorable playoff path
−Lost 7 players to NFL Draft, including top rusher and receiver
−Rebuilding skill groups with transfers, true freshmen
−Must still prove it on the road against Big Ten defenses
Nebraska
+Colandrea ranked Big Ten's No. 3 QB by PFF before playing a snap
+Returning WRs Hunter and Barney give new QB real weapons
+New DC Aurich targets a defense that was strong against the pass
−Run defense finished 100th nationally in 2025, unresolved
−Rhule is 19-19 in three years, hasn't broken through yet
−Brand new starting QB, O-line, and DC all installed at once
This one's a study in contrasts at quarterback. Washington brings back Demond Williams Jr., who briefly flirted with an LSU transfer worth a reported $6M before backing out and re-committing to Jedd Fisch's program. Nebraska counters with Anthony Colandrea, the reigning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year who transferred in from UNLV and was pegged by PFF as the No. 3 quarterback in the entire Big Ten before he'd taken a snap in Lincoln.
Washington's the more finished product. The Huskies went 9-4 a year ago, capped it with an LA Bowl win over Boise State, and are widely seen as having the softest path of any Big Ten contender toward a first CFP berth under Fisch. The catch: they lost seven players to the NFL Draft, including leading rusher Jonah Coleman and leading receiver Denzel Boston, and are patching the skill groups with transfers and true freshmen.
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WASH Washington
NEB Nebraska
Nebraska's rebuild runs the other direction. Rhule's staff overhauled the offensive line with veteran transfers up front and installed a new defensive coordinator in Rob Aurich, whose attacking 4-2-5 is aimed squarely at fixing a run defense that finished 100th nationally last season. If that unit doesn't tighten up fast, it's the kind of hole a mobile quarterback like Williams can run right through.
Washington Huskies
Oct 16?@ Purdue—
Oct 9?vs Iowa—
Oct 2?@ USC—
Sep 25?vs Minnesota—
Sep 19?vs Eastern Washington—
Sep 12?vs Utah State—
Sep 6?vs Washington State—
Nebraska Cornhuskers
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—
Recent form.
The bigger swing factor for Nebraska might be its receiving corps rather than the new arm throwing to them. Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr. both return with real production, and Colandrea's mobility (he ranked ninth among FBS quarterbacks in yards per scramble last year) gives Nebraska a dimension it didn't have with a pocket passer. It's a boom-or-bust profile for a first-year starter running a new offense against a Big Ten defense that'll have had two months of tape on him by the time this one kicks off.
Washington Huskies
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Nebraska Cornhuskers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Both programs are selling continuity through change: Washington leaning on its returning QB to cover for the roster losses around him, Nebraska betting its transfer additions gel fast enough to end three straight non-losing-but-not-good seasons under Rhule. This late-October date lands deep enough into the Big Ten grind that either team's floor and ceiling should be pretty well established by kickoff.
