How to Watch Nebraska Football vs. No. 15 Utah in Las Vegas Bowl with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

Amidst the backdrop of the Las Vegas skyline and the Nebraska football team's second consecutive bowl game appearance, change is in the air in the offseason before head coach Matt Rhule's fourth season in Lincoln.

Two-year starter Dylan Raiola is in the transfer portal, while defensive coordinator John Butler, defensive line coach Terry Bradden, and offensive line coach Donovan Raiola were all fired after a subpar 7-5 regular season that saw the Huskers get blown out in the last two weeks against Penn State and Iowa.

New hope has come in the form of 2026 defensive coordinator Rob Aurich from San Diego State, run game coordinator Lennie Teasley (South Carolina), and new offensive line coach Geep Wade, who has worked with the Huskers in the buildup to Vegas after coming over from Georgia Tech. While Rhule doesn't want to label it as a reset, you can read between the lines to see how important the 2026 season will be in Lincoln to get the Big Red Machine moving in a direction that will legitimize Rhule's build and the money flowing in the correct places.

In what is a brief pause between the foundation-moving pieces of the offseason, Nebraska faces a No. 15 Utah team going about its own shakeup — a messy coaching transition, key bowl game opt-outs, and the most football drama within its own walls in nearly 20 years. Add all that up, and it's more than an intriguing matchup for the Las Vegas Bowl that will be one of the last college football contests of the 2025 calendar year. Here's all you need to know as NU partakes in its second-straight postseason bowl game in a decade.

How to Follow Along

Game: SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Matchup: Nebraska (7-5, 4-5 B1G) vs. No. 15 Utah (10-2, 7-2 Big 12)
When: Wednesday, December 31
Where: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.
Time: 2:30 p.m. CST
Watch: ESPN
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates

No. 15 Utah Scout

Head Coach

Morgan Scalley | 1st season at Utah & as HC.
0-0 at Utah & Career HC Record.
Entire coaching career at Utah as an assistant.

2025 Record & Awards

10-2 (7-2 Big 12, 3rd).
2x All-Americans.
2025 Outland Trophy Winner.
Big 12 Offensive Newcomer & Offensive Lineman of the Year.
All-Big 12: 3x First Team, 2x Second Team, 3x Third Team, 7x Honorable Mention.

All-Time Series

Nebraska leads 4-0.
Sept. 5, 1992, last matchup, 49-22 NU.

Key Opt-Outs / Injuries

Utah

Logan Fano | DE | R-Jr. | Voted All-Big 12 Second Team after totaling 44 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and two pass breakups.
Spencer Fano | OT | Jr. | All-American tackle that's projected to be one of, if not the first, offensive tackle taken in the 2026 NFL draft in April.
Caleb Lomu | OT | R-Soph. | All-Big 12 First Team Pick that will also go high in the 2026 NFL draft alongside his tackle mate Spencer Fano.
John Henry Daley | DE | R-Soph. | 2025 All-American and All-Big 12 First Team after racking up 17.5 TFLs and 11.5 sacks; suffered a season-ending injury against Kansas State.

Nebraska

Dylan Raiola | QB | Soph. | Nebraska's starting quarterback the last two seasons, Raiola suffered a season-ending injury against USC in November and recently entered the transfer portal to finish his college career outside of Lincoln.
Dasan McCullough | LB | Sr. | An All-Big Ten Honorable Mention as part of his only season with NU, the Oklahoma transfer recorded 21 tackles, five TFLs, and two sacks in 10 games.
Emmett Johnson | RB | Jr. | A breakout season that ended with All-American honors, the Minnesota native will enter the NFL draft after posting 1,451 yards on 251 carries and 12 touchdowns.
Rocco Spindler | OG | Gr. | Another one-year transfer from Notre Dame, Spindler declared for the NFL draft and will take the time to heal his hand injury before entering the pros.
DeShon Singleton | DB | Sr. | An All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection and the team's second leading tackler, Singleton recently underwent surgery and will miss the game.

Utah Impact Players

Devon Dampier | QB | Jr. | The Big 12's Offensive Newcomer of the Year, the former New Mexico transfer threw for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding seven scores on 687 rushing yards.
Wayshawn Parker | RB | Soph. | Led the Utes with 931 rushing yards with six touchdowns en route to being named to the All-Big 12 Third Team in his sophomore campaign.
Byrd Ficklin | QB | Fr. | Backup quarterback to Dampier, who's a red zone specialist with 10 touchdowns on the season.
NaQuari Rogers | RB | Sr. | Veteran ball carrier that's tied with Ficklin for the team lead with 10 rushing touchdowns while adding 376 yards on the ground.
Ryan Davis | WR | R-Sr. | Utah's leading wideout was voted All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after collecting 659 yards on 57 catches and four touchdowns.
Dallen Bentley | TE | Sr. | Veteran tight end who was a John Mackey Award semifinalist thanks to his 514 yards on 42 catches and five scores.
Larry Simmons | WR | Jr. | Dampier's favorite deep threat, the Mississippi native leads the Utes with six receiving touchdowns on the season.
Johnathan Hall | LB | Jr. | Utah's leading tackler (65) who has added six TFLs and 2.5 sacks on the season while recording one interception.
Jackson Bennee | S | Soph. | Will likely enter next season as a preseason All-American, the Utah native has collected four interceptions on the season and was a Burlsworth Trophy nominee.
Lander Barton | LB | Sr. | 6-foot-5 linebacker that's a leader for the Utes; All-Big 12 Honorable Mention with 51 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and one interception in 12 games.

Three Key Storylines

The Morgan Scalley Era Officially Begins

After 21 seasons and 18 bowl games, it was a messy end to the tenure of Kyle Whittingham, the former Utah head coach who was tied for the second-longest tenured head coach in the FBS. After going back and forth over the last few seasons about retiring, pressure started to mount for a decision so the Utes wouldn't lose their head coach in waiting — defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. The patience finally ran out after the 2025 regular season, with Whittingham moving up to take the Michigan head coaching job, with Scalley filling in.

In what has been a roller coaster of emotions in the last few days, Utah will be tested without many of its top players, and the looming questions of which staff members will follow Whittingham to Ann Arbor or stick around with Scalley. However, with Scalley having been on staff for nearly as long as Whittingham, the transition should go pretty smoothly, but the past couple of days have been the most chaotic around the Utes in nearly 20 years. It'll be curious to see how much, if any, the changes have on their performance on New Year's Eve.

Former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was hired by Michigan after coaching the Utes for 21 seasons. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Opt-Out Factor

In what has become a trend over the past few seasons, likely NFL Draft picks have opted out of bowl games to avoid injury, and that's no exception for both Utah and Nebraska.

The Utes have definitely suffered more as they'll play without their two All-American caliber tackles in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. Joining them is Logan Fano, another NFL pick who was second team All-Big 12 and the leader of the defensive line after the injury of All-American John Henry Daley (17.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks).

The Huskers won't have veteran Rocco Spindler at guard in Vegas, as he'll take the time to heal up before the draft in April. The same goes for Oklahoma transfer and linebacker Dasan McCullough. However, the biggest is All-American running back Emmett Johnson, who was granted the blessing of head coach Matt Rhule to sit out and prepare for his pro career after a brilliant junior campaign in Lincoln that saw him rush for over 1,400 yards.

Allbeit, Utah has more depth to offset their opt-outs, but they're massive nonetheless. The Utes were a scary matchup for the Huskers due to the play up front, but the departures of the two Fanos and Lomu could push this game closer than the double-digit spread suggests.

How can Nebraska move the ball?

Aside from a spike against UCLA, the offense under newly crowned starting quarterback TJ Lateef didn't spark any hope. Johnson essentially acted as the entire offense, but even the All-American could only do so much. Now, with Johnson moving on to prepare for the pros, pressure will be on the true freshman to not only make Nebraska competitive against a good Utah team but also ignite his offseason campaign to be the Huskers' starting signal caller in 2026.

Nebraska's TJ Lateef will look to spark his 2026 starting quarterback candidacy against No. 15 Utah. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Recovering from a hamstring injury that limited his form against Iowa in the regular season finale, Lateef will have had two weeks with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorson to find a style and rhythm that fits with the California native. Isaiah Mozee and Mehki Nelson will split carries as the primary back, but I'd imagine that Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr. will be more involved in the gameplan with their vertical speed. Luke Lindenmeyer will continue to be a safety blanket, but I wouldn't count on NU leaning into the run as they did with Johnson. Keeping reads simple and providing Lateef with opportunities to use his legs will be the keys to success for Nebraska, who use this game as another data point in the decision to either grab a bona fide starter in the portal, who collects a depth piece to compete with Lateef next spring and fall.

More From Nebraska On SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.