NU Announces 2006 and 2007 Football Schedules

Nebraska has finalized its football schedules for the 2006 and 2007 football seasons with the announcement of five non-conference home games at Memorial Stadium over the next two years.

The games announced on Wednesday include three home games for the 2006 season—Louisiana Tech on Sept. 2, 2006, Nicholls State on Sept. 9, 2006 and Troy University on Sept. 23, 2006. The three games this fall complete a non-conference schedule that also includes a Sept. 16 trip to Los Angeles to take on USC.

Nebraska also completed its schedule for the 2007 season by announcing home games against Nevada (Sept. 1) and Ball State (Sept. 22). Those games are in addition to a Sept. 8 contest at Wake Forest and a Sept. 15 game in Lincoln against USC.

Beginning with the 2006 season, the NCAA will allow all Division I-A football teams to play 12 regular-season games. Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson has stated previously that he is hopeful the Huskers will play at least seven home games every season, and he is pleased that will be the case for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. A recent study by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln indicated that a seventh home football game next season would equate to an economic impact of more than $6 million in the Lincoln area.

“We are excited about being able to finalize the schedules for each of the next two seasons,” Pederson said. “With the addition of a 12th game beginning this fall, a lot of schools were in a similar position as us in trying to complete their schedules. It is important to us to give Nebraska fans as many opportunities as possible to see the games in person and having seven home games each of the next two years is a definite plus.”

The 2006 season will kick off with a visit from Louisiana Tech. Nebraska has faced the Bulldogs on one previous occasion, defeating Louisiana Tech, 56-26, in the 1998 Eddie Robinson Football Classic in Lincoln. Louisiana Tech is coached by Jack Bicknell who is entering his eighth season at the school. The Bulldogs are coming off a 7-4 season in 2005, including a 6-2 record in the Western Athletic Conference.

Nicholls State will be Nebraska’s second opponent of the 2006 campaign, visiting Lincoln on Sept. 9. The Colonels finished 6-4 in 2005, and won their last five games of the season to capture the Southland Conference title and qualify for the Division I-AA playoffs. Nicholls State dropped a 14-12 decision to Furman in the first round of the playoffs, but was ranked 17th in the final Division I-AA rankings. This will be the first meeting between Nebraska and Nicholls State.

Troy will be making its fourth trip to Lincoln in the past six seasons. The Trojans also played at Memorial Stadium in 2001, 2002 and 2003 with the Huskers winning each of the contests, most recently a 30-0 win in 2003. Troy is coming off a 4-7 record in 2005, and in addition to its trip to Lincoln will also take on Georgia Tech and Florida State in the month of September.

The addition of Nevada and Ball State bolsters an already strong 2007 non-conference schedule for the Huskers. Nevada shared the Western Athletic Conference title in 2005 and finished the season with a 9-3 record, including a victory over Central Florida in the Hawaii Bowl. Nevada won its final five games of the 2005 season, and its only losses came in road games at Washington State, Colorado State and Boise State.

Ball State will be Nebraska’s final non-conference game of the 2007 season. The Cardinals finished the 2005 season with a 4-7 overall mark and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference. Ball State played road games at Iowa, Boston College and Auburn last fall, and posted a victory over eventual MAC Champion Akron late in the season. Nebraska’s games with Nevada and Ball State will mark the Huskers’ first-ever meetings with both schools.

The announcement of the non-conference games for the 2006 and 2007 seasons completes a Husker schedule that also features a full schedule of eight Big 12 Conference games. In addition to facing all five North Division foes, Nebraska will take on Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State of the Big 12 South over the next two seasons, while Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Baylor drop off the Nebraska schedule until 2008. All four of Nebraska’s 2006 Big 12 home opponents appeared in bowl games this past season, including 2005 Big 12 and national champion Texas who will play at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 21.  

2006

Sept. 2             Louisiana Tech

Sept. 9             Nicholls State

Sept. 16            at USC

Sept. 23           Troy

Sept. 30           Kansas

Oct. 7               at Iowa State

Oct. 14             at Kansas State

Oct. 21             Texas

Oct. 28             at Oklahoma State

Nov. 4              Missouri

Nov. 11             at Texas A&M

Nov. 24             Colorado

2007

Sept. 1             Nevada

Sept. 8              at Wake Forest

Sept. 15           USC

Sept. 22           Ball State

Sept. 29           Iowa State

Oct. 6               at Missouri

Oct. 13             Oklahoma State

Oct. 20             Texas A&M

Oct. 27             at Texas

Nov. 3               at Kansas

Nov. 10             Kansas State

Nov. 23             at Colorado

Home games in red