The founder of Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy, has been known to stir the pot by publicly lambasting Nebraska’s football schedule for 2025, and the particularly disadvantageous position in the game against Houston Christian University.
The media’s influence went so far as to question Nebraska’s decision to schedule such a weak non-conference schedule.
Dave Portnoy’s Brutal Assessment of Nebraska’s Schedule
Dave Portnoy delivered a scathing critique of Nebraska’s 2025 non-conference schedule, stating:
“Nebraska is embarrassing the whole Big Ten with the teams they’re scheduling”. His comments specifically targeted the Cornhuskers’ decision to play Houston Christian University, formerly known as Houston Baptist, on September 13, 2025.
Nebraska is embarrassing the whole Big Ten with the teams they’re scheduling pic.twitter.com/7WpG0mH6Sv
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 19, 2025
During his conversation, Portnoy expressed disbelief about the matchup, saying: “You guys are scheduling the Houston Christian Huskies. I’ve honestly never heard of that team”.
He continued his criticism by questioning the opponent’s legitimacy: “This isn’t even a real team. Have you ever heard of that school? What? HCU”. Portnoy ended his conversation with: “You’ve got to be scheduling better than that.”
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Nebraska’s scheduling controversy is the latest incident in a long line of on-field problems plaguing the program. The Cornhuskers’ last game in a bowl came in 2016, when Tennessee beat them in the Music City Bowl. From 2017 to 2024, the Huskers had 35 wins against 58 losses, resulting in a 37.6% win percentage.
Houston Christian University, which competes at the FCS level in the Southland Conference, could not perform regularly as they have been through a tough time. The Huskies have been able to win just 31.1% of their games from 2019-2024, with a 0-11 season in 2021, as the lowest point. Their most recent campaign was the 2024 season, which ended with a 5-7 record.
The controversy highlights broader concerns about college football scheduling practices. College football analyst Josh Pate has criticized the current system, stating, “Scheduling is stupid right now” and pointing to vast disparities in schedule strength between teams in the same conference.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has previously defended his team’s scheduling approach, arguing that Big Ten teams face disadvantages by playing nine conference games compared to the SEC’s eight.
The calendar for the 2025 NCAA college football season includes 126 FCS and FBS matches. A considerable number of Big Ten teams are also following Nebraska’s lead by arranging non-conference games against lower-division opponents.
