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As the calendar flips to October tomorrow, the non-conference portion of the 2022 football season is officially behind Indiana (3-1,1-0 in Big Ten play) and head coach Tom Allen's program. The Hoosiers hit the road once again this weekend, traveling to Lincoln for a date with the host Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-3, 0-1 in B1G).

Nebraska's program has had the country's eyes on them for all of the wrong reasons so far this season, as their fair share of struggles have seen them fire both their head coach and defensive coordinator and falter in exceedingly more ways each week. However, Nebraska's home environment is one of the best in all of college football, and Lincoln Memorial Stadium will be packed to the brim once again when Indiana comes to town on Saturday.

The Hoosiers themselves come into the contest on the heels of their first loss of the campaign, a 21-point drubbing in Cincinnati last weekend. The Huskers didn't fare too well in their last time out either, falling 49-14 to Oklahoma. They since have had a bye week to attempt to sort themselves out, but it remains to be seen just how far they can pull themselves out of the rut that the program seems to be in.

Saturday night feels like a must-win for both teams. Indiana wants to go bowling, Nebraska wants to wipe the slate clean. Something's gotta give under the lights.

Here's everything you need to know heading into IU's conference re-opener.

Early Look: Getting to know Nebraska

3 keys to an Indiana win over Nebraska

Indiana coaching staff looks to respond to first loss as a group

Cam Camper's emergence has established him as the best bet for IU's offense

Q&A's: Tom Allen, Walt Bell and Chad Wilt, Aaron Casey and Cam Jones, and Nebraska coaches

The Hoosiers and Huskers last met in 2019, a matchup that resulted in a 38-31 Indiana victory. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey completed 27 of 40 passing attempts, accumulating 351 yards and two scores through the air. WR Whop Philyor hauled in 14 of those completions for 178 yards, and a 15-point third quarter saw the Hoosiers take the lead and never look back.

The win was Indiana's 6th on the season during their 2019 breakthrough season. Indiana would go 8-4 and make a Gator Bowl appearance to close out the season.

WR DJ Matthews is listed as day-to-day after he went down on a punt return during the first half of last week's Cincinnati game. He did not return during the second half.

TE James Bomba is still a question mark as well, as he left the WKU game with an injury and did not dress out for last week's matchup at all.

C Zach Carpenter is also questionable, and we could see Caleb Murphy in his spot once again this weekend.

Can Indiana take advantage of Nebraska's program turmoil?

As alluded to earlier, Nebraska's football program has been in an uncharacteristic downward spiral over the past few years, and it seems that the buck isn't stopping just yet. Interim head coach Mickey Joesph has replaced Scott Frost and interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch has replaced Erik Chinander through just the first month of the season.

Let's recap how the Huskers have got to this point so far this season. They opened the season in Dublin, Ireland, a loss against Northwestern. On two separate occasions, Nebraska led the game by 10+ points. The Wildcats win over the Huskers remains their only victory of the season so far.

The Huskers put one in the win column the following week, a 38-17 victory over North Dakota. Back on track, perhaps.

Wrong. Georgia Southern came into Memorial Stadium and beat the Huskers on their home turf, the game that would ultimately be the last of Frost's tenure as the frontman.

Finally, under Joesph's watch, Nebraska traveled to Norman for a meeting with Oklahoma. The Huskers scored the game's first and last touchdowns, but none of the seven in-between. The 49-14 loss spelled the end of Chinander's time in Lincoln, and the Huskers hit what may be the most needed bye week in program history.

Indiana's start has been rocky to their own extent, but nothing to the magnitude of their opponent's. It should be interesting to see if Indiana is able to take advantage on Saturday night, or if Nebraska comes out with a renewed focus and starts to turn things around.

Will Indiana be able to contain the Husker offense?

Although Nebraska has lost three of their first four, it is by no means the offense's fault. Nebraska brings a balanced attack with the ball in their hands, passing for just over 250 yds/game and rushing for just under 200. After being punched in the mouth by the Bearcat offense early and often last week, the Hoosier defense may be reeling a bit.

Indiana's defense is ranked second-worst in the conference in both total yards and scoring defense, leading only Nebraska's. Indiana's offense has had it's glimpses of excellence, but still lacks the consistency needed to play four entire quarters. Saturday night's game has all the makings of a shootout, so it will ultimately be up to both sides of the ball to pull their own weight.

However, if Indiana's defense is able to at least contain the Huskers, the Husker defense may provide IU with the opportunities to run away with it. A bounce back performance or some timely turnovers could be what Indiana needs to improve to 4-1 on the year. Regardless, it'll be something to watch out for this weekend.

Does IU continue to reshuffle the offensive line?

It shouldn't go without mentioning that Indiana's offensive line has experienced a wide variety of criticism so far this season. Originally, they struggled to open holes in the running game but were able to keep QB Connor Bazelak on his feet and mostly out of danger. As the season has progressed and injuries have arose though, the latter is no longer true either.

The issues stem back from beyond this season, but the fact of the matter is that Indiana must work with what they have to find their best five up front. We've seen some shuffling around with the components of the line, whether it's different guards or tackles, and injury has forced change at center as well.

IU could continue to do so this weekend, as they're looking to find the winning formula that can set them over the top.

How much clearer does a path to six wins look with a win over Nebraska?

It's no time like the present right now for Indiana. All things considered, a lot of people in and around the program, fans included, would've signed up for 3-1 after the month of September. Sure, Indiana didn't arrive there in particularly inspiring fashion, but nonetheless, Indiana pulled three results out of the games they were supposed to, and fell at the hands of Cincinnati, which is more than understandable given the talent and efficiency of their program.

October, however, is all about opportunity for the Hoosiers. Sitting at halfway to bowl eligibility, Indiana needs three of their final eight to play December football. October sees IU take on Nebraska on the road, Michigan and Maryland at home, and a date with Rutgers in New Jersey. November, on paper, is much more tumultuous, with Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue all waiting in the wings.

If Indiana pulls out a victory over the Huskers and takes advantage of the backloaded slate, it's not out of a realm of possibility that the Hoosiers could be sitting at five or six wins after Halloween. It's not the most probable per say, but it's by no means impossible.

It's now up to the Hoosiers themselves to take advantage and realize the opportunity in front of them. Six wins would be nothing short of an incredible turnaround after last season, but talking is nothing without corresponding action. IU can start that action against Nebraska on Saturday.

Who?: Indiana (3-1, 1-0 in B1G) at Nebraska (1-3, 0-1 in B1G)

When?: Saturday, October 1st, 7:30 p.m. ET

Where?: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska

TV: Big Ten Network: Mark Followill (play-by-play), Matt Mullen (analyst), and Meghan McKeown (sideline)

Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play) & Rhett Lewis (analyst)

Vegas: Nebraska -4.5, o/u 60. IU is 1-3 ATS, and the over has hit in three of four games. Nebraska is 0-4 ATS, 2-2 on o/u's.

ESPN's SP+: Nebraska 32-26, 63% chance of a Husker victory

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