Big Ten schedule has Gophers vs. Nebraska in 2023 season opener

The Big Ten on Wednesday announced its schedule for conference games for the 2022 through 2025 seasons, and teams will continue to play nine-game league schedules with the current format of East and West Divisions.

For the Gophers, here are a few highlights:

* After playing Nebraska to end the 2020 and '21 seasons, the Gophers and Wisconsin will return to meeting in the regular-season finale from 2022 through '25. Corresponding with this move was the Big Ten restoring the Nebraska vs. Iowa matchup to Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, resuming in 2022.

* The Gophers will open the 2023 season by playing host to Nebraska on Sept. 2, a Saturday. Minnesota usually opens its season with a nonconference game on the Thursday before Labor Day, but that will change. The 2021 opener, already announced, will be at home against Ohio State on Sept. 4, a Saturday.

* From 2022 through 2025, the Gophers and Michigan will meet for the Little Brown Jug only once, on Sept. 23, 2023, at TCF Bank Stadium. That year, the Gophers' East Division opponents are the Wolverines, Michigan State and Ohio State. Gulp.

* Michigan State is a Gophers crossover opponent from the East in all four years.

* The Gophers will have five conference road games in 2022 and '24, and five Big Ten home games in 2023 and '25.

Here are the future schedules, starting with 2019. Some of the schedules are not complete, and they are subject to change:

2019

Aug. 29 (Thurs.) vs. South Dakota State

Sept. 7 at Fresno State

Sept. 14 vs. Georgia Southern

Oct. 5 vs. Illinois

Oct. 12 vs. Nebraska

Oct. 19 at Rutgers

Oct. 26 vs. Maryland

Nov. 9 vs. Penn State

Nov. 23 at Northwestern

Nov. 30 vs. Wisconsin

2020

Sept. 3 (Thurs.) vs. Florida Atlantic

Sept. 12 vs. Tennessee Tech

Sept. 26 vs. Brigham Young

Oct. 3 at Maryland

Oct. 10 at Wisconsin

Oct. 17 vs. Michigan

Oct. 24 at Illinois

Nov. 7 vs. Purdue

Nov. 21 vs. Northwestern

Nov. 28 at Nebraska

2021

Sept. 4 vs. Ohio State

Sept. 18 at Colorado

Sept. 25 vs. Bowling Green

Oct. 2 at Purdue

Oct. 9 vs. Wisconsin

Oct. 23 at Northwestern

Nov. 6 vs. Illinois

Nov. 13 at Iowa

Nov. 20 at Indiana

Nov. 27 vs. Nebraska

2022

Sept. 17 vs. Colorado

Sept. 24 vs. Iowa

Oct. 1 vs. Rutgers

Oct. 8 at Illinois

Oct. 15 vs. Purdue

Nov. 5 at Michigan State

Nov. 12 vs. Northwestern

Nov. 19 at Penn State

Nov. 26 at Wisconsin

2023

Sept. 9 vs. Eastern Michigan

Sept. 16 at North Carolina

Sept. 23 vs. Michigan

Oct. 7 at Purdue

Oct. 21 at Northwestern

Nov. 4 at Iowa

Nov. 11 vs. Illinois

Nov. 18 at Ohio State

Nov. 25 vs. Wisconsin

2024

Sept. 21 at Nebraska

Oct. 5 at Michigan State

Oct. 12 vs. Purdue

Oct. 19 at Maryland

Nov. 2 vs. Northwestern

Nov. 16 vs. Iowa

Nov. 23 at Illinois

Nov. 30 at Wisconsin

2025

Sept. 6 vs. Bowling Green

Sept. 27 vs. Michigan State

Oct. 4 at Rutgers

Oct. 11 at Iowa

Oct. 25 vs. Penn State

Nov. 1 vs. Nebraska

Nov. 15 at Purdue

Nov. 22 vs. Illinois