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Northern Illinois, Nebraska announce football series

Northern Illinois and Nebraska have agreed to a three-year football series, according to reports.

By Jack Cassidy
Dave Reginek

The University of Nebraska and Northern Illinois University have agreed to a three-year football series taking place in 2016, 2017 and 2019, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.

Per reports, the first game of the series would be played at Soldier Field in Chicago, with the final two games played at the University of Nebraska.

Prestige-wise, the contest could blossom into a marquee matchup given Nebraska's historical success and Northern Illinois' recent rise to the national stage. Back-to-back MAC Champions, No. 15 Northern Illinois plays in the Orange Bowl against No. 12 Florida State on Jan. 1.

Nebraska faced the prospect of joining Northern Illinois in the BCS this season, as they would have clinched a Rose Bowl berth had they defeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Instead, they will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl.

Nebraska has an all-time record of 856-352-40; Northern Illinois is 527-462-51.