Las Vegas Bowl: No. 15 Utah (10-2, 7-2) vs. Nebraska (7-5, 4-5)
- Kickoff: Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. MST
- Venue: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- TV: ESPN
- Livestream: Watch ESPN
- Radio: ESPN 700 AM/92.1 FM
- Series: Nebraska leads the all-time series, 4-0. The Cornhuskers have hosted every previous matchup, with the first coming in 1968 (a 31-0 Nebraska win) and the most recent in 1992 (a 49-22 Nebraska victory).
The trends
For Utah: The Utes, who didn’t play in a bowl last season, haven’t lost in over two months — their last defeat came in mid-October, and they are on a five-game winning streak heading into their bowl game.
In postseason play, though, Utah is on a five-game losing streak — that includes a 14-7 loss to Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl two years ago. The last time the Utes won a bowl game was 2017, when Utah beat West Virginia 30-14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
With a victory, it would be the Utes’ first 11-win season since 2019. It would also be the first time since 2008 — when Utah went 13-0 and finished the year ranked No. 2 — that the Utes had two or fewer losses in a season.
For Nebraska: While the Cornhuskers are assured of a winning season, regardless of the Las Vegas Bowl result, they have lost three of their past four games, dating back to the start of November. Nebraska has a losing record (4-5) since starting the 2025 season with three straight wins.
The Cornhuskers are making their second-straight bowl appearance under third-year coach Matt Rhule — last year, Nebraska beat Boston College 20-15 in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Nebraska is trying to win more than seven games for the first time since 2016, when the Huskers were 9-4.
What to watch for
For the first time since 2004, there is a changing of the guard for the Utah football program.
This will be Morgan Scalley’s first game as head coach of the Utes — Kyle Whittingham stepped down in early December after 21 seasons at the helm, then this past week was named Michigan’s new head coach.
Oddly enough, Whittingham’s first game as Utah’s head coach also came in the bowl season, when he led the Utes to a 25-7 win over Pittsburgh in the 2004 Fiesta Bowl after Urban Meyer accepted a new job as Florida’s head coach.
There are a few opt-outs for Utah in the bowl game, including the offensive tackle duo of Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, as well as defensive end Logan Fano.
That could have some impact on Utah’s run game, though Nebraska has a poor run defense. The Cornhuskers are 95th nationally in rush defense, giving up 171.2 yards per game, while the Utes average 269.8 rushing yards per game, second-most in the country.
Nebraska, meanwhile, will be without several players due to opt-outs or injury. That includes starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, who suffered a season-ending injury in November, as well as star running back Emmett Johnson, who opted out in preparation for the NFL draft.
Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef (14) plays against Iowa during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Lincoln, Neb. | Rebecca S. Gratz, Associated Press
Key player
TJ Lateef, QB, Nebraska: Lateef has been Nebraska’s quarterback since Raiola suffered a broken fibula in the third quarter of a 21-17 loss to No. 23 USC on Nov. 1.
The dual-threat QB has gone 1-2 as a starter since then, with the Cornhuskers coming into the postseason off two straight blowouts.
For Nebraska to have any shot of an upset, the Huskers are going to need Lateef at his best, especially with Johnson opting out.
Since taking over for Raiola, Lateef has completed 57.8% of his passes for 468 yards, three touchdowns (albeit all three came in just one game) and no interceptions. He has also carried the ball 22 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Quotable
“We enter this game knowing that not a lot of people are giving us a chance, but that has nothing to do with us. … We have to bring respect back to Nebraska football.” — Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, per Husker Online’s Robin Washut
“You don’t want to be the guy that follows the guy. I am that guy, but I am extremely confident in moving forward.” — Utah coach Morgan Scalley
Utah schedule
- Aug. 30 — at UCLA, W 43-10
- Sept. 6 — vs. Cal Poly, W 63-9
- Sept. 13 — at Wyoming, W 31-6
- Sept. 20 — vs. Texas Tech, L 34-10
- Sept. 27 — at West Virginia, W 48-14
- Oct. 11 — vs. Arizona State, W 42-10
- Oct. 18 — at BYU, L 24-21
- Oct. 25 — vs. Colorado, W 53-7
- Nov. 1 — vs. Cincinnati, W 45-14
- Nov. 15 — at Baylor, W 55-28
- Nov. 22 — vs. Kansas State, W 51-47
- Nov. 28 — at Kansas, W 31-21
- Dec. 31 — Las Vegas Bowl, vs. Nebraska
