UC football home game vs. Nebraska in 2025 moved to Lucas Oil Stadium

The University of Cincinnati will be facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten in football in 2025, it just won't be at Nippert Stadium as originally scheduled.

Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts and UC Deputy AD/Chief Financial Officer John Daniel confirmed the moving of the contest Tuesday afternoon.

The game is set for Aug. 30, 2025, at the home of the Big Ten football championship.

Originally, it was the second part of a home-and-home series. The Big Ten canceled the 2020 game due to the COVID pandemic. That game has been rescheduled to Sept. 11, 2032. UC would have received $400,000 for the 2020 game and will receive that in 2032. Nebraska will be paid $400,000 in 2025 even though the game will be played in Indianapolis.

Why the move?

"We were trying to keep a Power Five opponent for that year and were very interested in trying to work with Nebraska," UC's Daniel said.

When Nebraska said they'd be open to a neutral matchup, the UC brass decided on Lucas Oil Stadium.

"While it is a neutral site, it will be our game," Daniel said. "Cincinnati will run the game. We have control of the venue and it's in the contract that we'll get 75% of every ticket sold. We're anticipating close to $3,000,000 in a net take-home for that game. Essentially, from a five-year perspective with the buyouts we're having to pay and the replacements, we're basically going to break even over that stretch."

The 2025 schedule juggling is in part due to the Big 12 going from eight conference games to nine. The upside is the Bearcats will still have seven home games in 2025 in addition to the trip to Indianapolis against the Cornhuskers.

UC last played Nebraska in football in 1906, losing 41-0.

"Nebraska indicated they could sell whatever amount of tickets we could possibly give them," Daniel said of the 2025 date.

Daniel mentioned sponsorships are available for the game.

Other moves with the menu

In other maneuvers, UC's game in Athens against Ohio in 2026 will also go by the wayside as they will bring Power Five opponent Boston College into town. Western Kentucky's Hilltoppers scheduled in 2025 and 2026 will also be replaced as the Bearcats try to secure as many non-conference home games as possible. Those cancellations will total $1,000,000 in buyouts.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC's 2025 football game vs. Nebraska to be played at Lucas Oil Stadium