DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was announced Thursday that Bethune-Cookman and Nebraska have agreed to meet on the gridiron in October, adding a 12th game to the schedule for the Wildcats of B-CU. The game will take place Saturday, Oct. 27, which was scheduled to be a bye week for Bethune-Cookman.
 
The game will be the first of its kind for Bethune-Cookman against a Big Ten opponent in the sport of football, and gives B-CU its second Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent of the 2018 slate. For Bethune-Cookman, a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school, the NCAA has granted a waiver to allow the Wildcats to play a 12th game to accommodate Nebraska.

This game will also not impede on either university's goals for postseason play and both will remain eligible for their respective postseason opportunities.
 
"Nebraska contacted us in great need of an opponent to complete their schedule because of the cancellation and we were virtually one of the only institutions with the open date of October 27 this year," said Lynn W. Thompson, B-CU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. "We have been in this situation before and had no options. So, after talking it over with our staff and administration – and with the support of the MEAC office, we were able to get the game approved."
 
For Nebraska, the game replaces the Cornhuskers' originally-scheduled season opener against Akron which was canceled due to weather, and it allows them to complete a 12-game FBS schedule.
 
"This will allow our student-athletes an opportunity to play in one of the historic stadiums in college football against one of the nations' great football programs", said Terry Sims, B-CU head football coach. "We established a good relationship with the current staff at Nebraska when they were at UCF, and we are fortunate to be in a position to get the deal done."
 
A time for kickoff will be determined later by officials at Nebraska.
 
Bethune-Cookman opens MEAC play this weekend against Howard, as the two teams meet in the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. The game is set for Saturday at 3 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with a rebroadcast on ESPNU later that evening.