UPDATE: As of 3:40 Tuesday the Nebraska athletic website has been updated to show the 2023 season beginning with a Thursday game at Minnesota.
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Posted Tuesday Morning
Speculation hit social media Monday as it was discovered Minnesota’s football schedule via their website lists their game with Nebraska on a Thursday.
Minnesota’s website also indicates that their 2023 season-opener vs. Nebraska will be played on Thursday, Aug. 31.
— FBSchedules.com (@FBSchedules) January 20, 2020
Interesting. Minnesota’s official schedule has the Gophers hosting the #Huskers to open the season in 2023.
Would be Nebraska’s first road season opener since playing at Iowa in 1999. pic.twitter.com/b0vB3uuttZ
— Robin Washut (@RobinWashut) January 20, 2020
The Nebraska website, however, lists the game as a Saturday.
The contest will already be the first true road game since 1999 when the Huskers went to Iowa City and came home with a 42-7 win over the Hawkeyes. The Thursday start would be something that Nebraska hasn’t done in nearly 25 years, when Big Red went to Oklahoma State and won 64-21 in 1995. That was also the last season that Nebraska began with two true road games, the second of which was a 50-10 win at Michigan State.
Nebraska also had a unique start to the 1994 season, beating West Virginia 31-0 at the Kickoff Classic in New Jersey on a Sunday. The Huskers followed that up by beating Texas Tech 42-16 on a Thursday in Lubbock.
The last time Nebraska played a Thursday game in any part of the regular season was in 2010. The Huskers won that game 48-13 at Kansas State. The year before was a 27-12 Thursday night win at Missouri.
Minnesota has started every season since 2012 on a Thursday. The Golden Gophers also have 2020, 2021, and 2022 set to begin on Thursdays as well.
The 2023 season will have two true road games with Minnesota and Colorado, but what day for the opener has yet to be officially announced from either university. The television networks will likely have some say in the date and time of the game as we get closer than three and a half years out.
Nebraska athletics did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.
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