Washington 17-10 Nebraska (Oct 31, 2026) Final Score

Team pages: Washington · Nebraska

Washington5-317

Nebraska5-310Final

Sat, Oct 31 · Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE), Lincoln, Neb. · Crowd 86,097BTN

Washington beat Nebraska 17-10 as a 7.5-point underdog, after its win chance fell to 10%.

Winners have been down to 10% or less in about 1 of every 11 games since 2018.

We had Nebraska favored. Washington won.

Next: Washington vs Penn State, Sat Nov 7 · 3:30 PM ET · Washington favored by 2.5

Next: Nebraska at Illinois, Fri Nov 6 · 8:00 PM ET · Nebraska favored by 4.5

Hahahahah ok now this is sports ball

A Washington fan

How it swung

The turning point: Williams 25-yd TD pass to Lawson, Washington goes ahead 10-7 (Q4, 1:30). Washington went from 27% to 58% to win. Fans right then: “CALL THE BLINDSIDE BLOCK ON THE PICK PLAY” r/CFB game thread

Before kickoff, our ratings gave Washington a 24% chance, and the closing betting line (Washington was a 7.5-point underdog) put it at 27%.

17 unanswered

Washington · Q4 1:30Pick-six

Washington · Q4 1:15

FinalWashington 17-10 NebraskaWashington wonMove across the chart, or tap a numbered swing, to see any play.

The two plays that swung it

1Q4 1:30Williams 25-yd TD pass to Lawson, Washington goes ahead 10-7Washington 27% → 58% (+31)
2Q4 1:15InterceptionColandrea intercepted by McLaughlin at the Nebraska 48 and returned for a TDWashington 58% → 84% (+26)

The two plays that swung it

1Q4 1:30Williams 25-yd TD pass to Lawson, Washington goes ahead 10-7Nebraska 73% → 42% (−31)
2Q4 1:15InterceptionColandrea intercepted by McLaughlin at the Nebraska 48 and returned for a TDNebraska 42% → 16% (−26)

CALL THE BLINDSIDE BLOCK ON THE PICK PLAY

Q4 2:46 · A Nebraska fan · r/CFB game thread

What fans said, play by play

The line in bold above each quote is written by our model from the thread’s comments and the play-by-play.

Q4 10:01Nebraska fans rage as Cunanan misses a 36-yard field goal attemptCunanan for sure misses this nowr/CFB game thread
Q4 5:17Fans argue a targeting call on Colandrea's pass is wrongSay whatever you want about what the call should be, you know damn well if the roles were reversed it's 100% getting confirmed as targetingr/CFB game threadNo way that's targetingr/CFB game thread
Q4 2:46Fans argue over a blindside block call on Washington's drive with 2:46 leftBut you know , that's not a blindside block.r/CFB game thread
Q4 1:49Washington scores touchdown to take lead, Nebraska fans curse coach RhuleBoy would I be mad if I didnt already see this comingr/CFB game threadJust add it to the pile. Not even surprised or even upset. So predictabler/CFB game thread
Q4 0:31Nebraska makes a 42-yard field goal with 31 seconds left to trail Washington 17-10Imagine getting the onside kick and then immediately throwing another pick lmaooor/CFB game thread

Washington’s chance to win after every play.

How to read this chart

Starts from the pregame line (Nebraska -7.5), at 22% for Washington (the play-by-play feed's kickoff number, moved to match the line; our model's and the betting line's own numbers are in “The betting line, and the fans”). Dots are the biggest swings; ticks under the chart are scores. Outlined diamonds mark rare plays. Under the scores, r/CFB comments per minute from fans with a Nebraska or Washington flair (1,689 and 881); both sides share one scale, regulation only. A gold diamond marks a play fans were reacting to.

Watch the plays

The bar and the arrow show Washington’s chance to win after each play; the logo is the team the play helped.

Every drive

Washington scored on 2 of its 11 drives; Nebraska on 2 of its 12.

Washington’s drives are teal, Nebraska’s amber. A line runs from where a drive started to where it ended; a filled dot means it scored.

When fans got loud

Loud

Fans peaked right at the end.

Jump to the loudest stretch

The jump was loud; the crowd was busy.

Fans of both teams were loud at once in the bracketed stretch.

“To make this a true Nebraska game, we need to throw a pick”

A fan of another team

Two crowds, one game

The words each side’s fans used far more than the other side, from the game thread.

Washington fans

fisch“Something will have to give in the 2nd half. Jedd Fisch’s inability to win on the road against a team with a pulse vs Nebraska being cursed.”

Nebraska fans

fire“He's not a natural athlete or a real fire cracker.”

Both sets of fans kept coming back to: now, ball, call, back.

The winner fell to 9%.

What it cost

Nebraska’s chance to make the playoff fell from 5% to 1%.

Make the playoff

Washington · won0% → 0%

Nebraska · lost5% → ▼1%

Win the conference

Washington · won0% → 0%

Nebraska · lost1% → ▼0%

Before the game (October 31, 2026) → after this result alone, in our model. Other games that weekend move it too, so the team page may differ.

Nebraska plays at Illinois on Fri Nov 6 with a 1% chance to make the playoff.

Box score

Washington 17, Nebraska 10

Washington covered +7.5 by 14.5. The total, 27, stayed under 49.5.

Team totals	Washington	Nebraska
Total yards	267	387
Passing	26 of 43, 235 yds	24 of 45, 255 yds
Rushing	19 for 32 yds	29 for 132 yds
First downs	17	21
Third down	5 of 15	6 of 13
Fourth down	1 of 1	0 of 0
Turnovers	0	3
Penalties	8 for 44 yds	8 for 74 yds
Time of possession	29:18	30:42

Washington leaders

Passing Elijah Brown 19 of 30, 136 yds
Rushing Demond Williams Jr. 4 for 28 yds; Brian Bonner Jr. 4 for 13 yds
Receiving Chris Lawson 12 for 155 yds, 1 TD; Dezmen Roebuck 5 for 25 yds

Nebraska leaders

Passing Anthony Colandrea 24 of 44, 255 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing Jamal Rule 13 for 72 yds; Mekhi Nelson 6 for 24 yds
Receiving Jacory Barney Jr. 6 for 65 yds; Luke Lindenmeyer 5 for 61 yds

No rain through the game

62° at kickoff · no rain recorded

The usual here around this date is 54°, with about 7 in 10 games between 38° and 66°.

October game-day temperatures at Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)

Drag along the chart, or step through the game.

Fourth quarter, 1:30 left10:14 p.m.

Washington 10, Nebraska 7 · Nebraska 42% to win

no rain · 61°

Williams 25-yd TD pass to Lawson, Washington goes ahead 10-7

Measured at Lincoln airport, 3.1 miles away. Wind and rain are airport readings near the stadium, not on the field. Game times come from the play-by-play, good to a minute or two. Source: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Field direction from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Before kickoff

Recent games, the series and the betting line below are as they stood going in; the season profile is the season so far.

Recent games

Last three games

Washington · 4-3

Rated 26th in our preseason ratings, 37th now, down 11 spots.

1-2 in its last three, capped by a 12-point win over Purdue as a 3-point underdog.

W 38-26 @ Purdue No. 85 of 668 teams

won by 12 as a 3-point underdog

L 24-41 vs IowaTop 25 No. 15 of 668 teams

lost by 17 as a 3-point favorite

L 21-25 @ USCTop 25 No. 25 of 668 teams

lost by 4 as a 7.5-point underdog

L 24-27 vs Minnesota No. 43 of 668 teams

lost by 3 as a 12.5-point favorite

W 48-16 vs Eastern Washington No. 168 of 668 teams

won by 32 as a 42.5-point favorite

W 16-14 vs Utah State No. 57 of 668 teams

won by 2 as a 28.5-point favorite

W 24-10 vs Washington State No. 41 of 668 teams

won by 14 as a 23.5-point favorite

Last three games

Nebraska · 5-2

Rated 40th in our preseason ratings, 18th now, up 22 spots.

1-2 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.

L 14-17 @ OregonTop 25 No. 10 of 668 teams

lost by 3 as a 6.5-point underdog

L 17-20 vs IndianaTop 25 No. 4 of 668 teams

lost by 3 as a 9.5-point underdog

W 48-23 vs Maryland No. 97 of 668 teams

won by 25 as a 15.5-point favorite

W 31-13 @ Michigan State No. 125 of 668 teams

won by 18 as a 6-point favorite

W 34-7 vs North Dakota No. 110 of 668 teams

won by 27 as a 27.5-point favorite

W 56-7 vs Bowling Green No. 135 of 668 teams

won by 49 as a 30.5-point favorite

W 49-21 vs Ohio No. 48 of 668 teams

won by 28 as a 23.5-point favorite

Week by week

Nebraska

Wk 3Wvs North Dakota34-7
Wk 4Wat Michigan State31-13
Wk 5Wvs Maryland48-23
Wk 6Lvs Indiana17-20
Wk 7Lat Oregon14-17

Washington

Wk 3Wvs Eastern Washington48-16
Wk 4Lvs Minnesota24-27
Wk 5Lat USC21-25
Wk 6Lvs Iowa24-41
Wk 7Wat Purdue38-26

Power rating by week

Nebraska is rated 3.7 points ahead as of week 8. Our power rating by week; higher is better.

Matchups

Biggest mismatch: Washington’s rushing EPA against Nebraska, 51 points

Each row ranks the two sides among all teams. The longer the line, the bigger the mismatch.

Washington’s success rate against Nebraska’s defense
Washington offense, 43rd percentile · Nebraska defense, 92nd
Washington’s rushing EPA against Nebraska’s defense
Washington offense, 10th percentile · Nebraska defense, 61st
Washington’s explosive plays against Nebraska’s defense
Washington offense, 60th percentile · Nebraska defense, 19th

Season profile, all the rows

Season profile

WashingtonNebraska

EPA/play, offense

EPA/play, defense

Success rate, offense

Success rate, defense

Explosive-play rate, offense

Explosive-play rate, defense

Rush EPA, offense

Rush EPA, defense

Pass EPA, offense

Pass EPA, defense

The series

Nebraska leads the series 5-4-1

10 meetings since 1925 · Nebraska won the last meeting

2011Nebraska 51-38
2010 · neutral siteWashington 19-7
2010Nebraska 56-21
1998Nebraska 55-7
1997Nebraska 27-14

Line, fans and home field

The betting line, and the fans

Washington fans are in a better mood than Nebraska fans (51st percentile vs 36th among FBS fanbases), even with Nebraska favored.

Nebraska favored by 7.5 · Total 49.5

How games like this usually go

Nebraska by 7.5, on the usual path until 1:49 left in the fourth

Half of games8 in 10 gamesThis game

The band is where a favorite’s chance ran in the 448 games since 2025 with a favorite of 7.5 to 14.5 points.

The market

The spread moved 2 points toward Washington.

The books’ cut: 4.3%, the margin built into the odds

Home field

Nebraska is worth +5.1 points (±3.9) more at home than on the road since 2018 — middle of FBS, 66th percentile.

46% at home, 28% on the road against FBS opponents (24-28 home, 11-29 away).

Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -0.4 at home vs. away over 98 games — inside the ±5.8 noise, so the flat number is the honest one here.

Night kickoff — historically worth about half a point more to the home side against the number, and not much more than that. The visitors travel about 1,345 miles to get here.

The story going in

Nebraska broadcaster Kent Pavelka to retireOct 26, 2026

Where next

Conference standings

Going into this game: place in the conference, then conference record.

Nebraska11th2-2
Washington14th1-3

Full Big Ten standings

Washington upsets Nebraska 17-10