* Nebraska will begin the Big Ten portion of its 2015 schedule at Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The game marks the start of the Huskers' fifth season of Big Ten competition, and second in the West Division.
* Nebraska will be opening conference play against Illinois for the third consecutive season. The last time Nebraska opened conference play against the same opponent three consecutive seasons was a stretch of three straight wins vs. Missouri from 1999 to 2001.
* Nebraska has won 37 of its past 40 conference openers overall, with all three losses coming against top 20 teams, most recently a loss at No.