The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Cincinnati Bearcats have agreed to play a home-and-home series, according to ESPN's Brett McMurphy. The first game will be at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln in 2020, and the second leg will be in Cincinnati in 2025.
Nebraska, Cincinnati agree to home-and-home series
The Huskers and Bearcats will face each other for the first time since 1906 when they play a home-and-home series beginning in 2020.
Eric Francis
On the surface, it seems like a bit of an odd connection, but the series makes sense for both sides.
Since moving to the Big Ten, Nebraska has lost some of its connection to Texas, which was its biggest recruiting pipeline when they were in the Big 12. The biggest source of talent in the Big Ten footprint is Ohio, and Cincy itself happens to be surprisingly disputed territory, so it stands to reason that Nebraska would like to get as many games against Ohio teams as possible. This has become even more important now that Kentucky is recruiting on a high level in the area, taking recruits that maybe would have gone to Nebraska instead.
Cincinnati, meanwhile, is a program that is trying to improve its place in the college football landscape. The school is in the process of renovating Nippert Stadium, which is a great old stadium that doesn’t get talked about as much as it should, and new head coach Tommy Tuberville is recruiting with a future in another conference in mind. The Bearcats were one of the teams left behind in the old Big East, and now the American Athletic Conference. These will be big games for Cincinnati, even if the closest one is still seven years away.
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