Indiana Football Enters Week 5 as Underdog in Road Trip to Nebraska

Indiana football heads to Lincoln, Neb. for a Week 5 matchup with the Cornhuskers at 7:30 p.m. ET. Nebraska is favored by 5.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook.

Following a 45-24 loss at Cincinnati, the Indiana football team will travel to Lincoln, Neb. for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday. 

According to the SI Sportsbook, Indiana is a 5.5-point underdog in this Week 5 matchup against Nebraska. Indiana enters the game with a 3-1 overall record and a 1-0 mark in Big Ten play with a win over Illinois. Nebraska is off to a 1-3 start, and in its first Big Ten game, home-field advantage will certainly be a factor. 

"They play really good at home," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "It's been their history in the past. They got a lot of pride in that program. I know we're going to get their very, very best shot. We have to be at our very best, without question."

Capacity at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. is over 85,000 fans, and Nebraska holds an NCAA-record 385 consecutive sellouts dating back to 1962. But it appears that streak could be in jeopardy when Indiana comes to town.

In a Sept. 22 Tweet from Brian Christopherson, University of Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts said Thursday there were still "a little over 1,000 or so" tickets available for the Nebraska-Indiana game on Oct. 1. "At this point, I think the reality is we're probably on a week-by-week basis" regarding the sellout streak.

Nebraska fired coach Scott Frost following the team's 45-42 loss at home to Georgia Southern, a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Cornhuskers' started their season with a 31-28 loss to Northwestern in Dublin, Ireland in Week 0. Nebraska returned home and beat North Dakota 38-17, which was followed by the loss to Georgia Southern.

Nebraska promoted Mickey Joseph to interim head coach on Sept. 11, and the Cornhuskers lost 49-14 at home to Oklahoma in their first game with Joseph in this role. Joseph, a former Nebraska quarterback from 1988 to 1991, joined the Nebraska coaching staff before the 2022 season as an associate head coach, wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. He spent the previous five seasons as a wide receivers coach and assistant head coach at LSU, where he helped the Tigers win the 2019 national championship.

In the most recent matchup in 2019, Indiana won 38-31 at Nebraska.

Related stories on Indiana football:

• ALLEN, BELL RESPOND TO OFFENSIVE LINE CONCERNS: Indiana football coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell addressed concerns surrounding the Hoosiers' offensive line at Monday's press conference. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WENT WRONG AND RIGHT IN LOSS TO CINCINNATI: Indiana suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday at Cincinnati. The Bearcats used a 28-point second quarter to defeat the Hoosiers 45-24. CLICK HERE
• WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID: Read what Indiana football coach Tom Allen said in the post game press conference following the Hoosiers' 45-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Read the full transcript, or just watch the attached video. CLICK HERE
• CONNOR BAZELAK AFTER CINCINNATI LOSS: Saturday, the Hoosiers got their first loss of the season falling to Cincinnati 45-24 on the road. Read the full transcript of what Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak said following the defeat. The press conference video is attached. CLICK HERE
• CINCINNATI DEFEATS INDIANA 45-24: Indiana football suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday at Cincinnati. The Bearcats defeated the Hoosiers 45-24 as quarterback Ben Bryant passed for 354 yards and four touchdowns. Next up for Indiana is a road trip to Lincoln, Neb. CLICK HERE