Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 12 | at Iowa* | #7 | Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa | L 7-10 | 60,160 | |||
| September 19 | #19 Florida State* | #17 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 34-14 | 76,289 | |||
| September 26 | #3 Penn State* | #15 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | L 24-30 | 76,308 | |||
| October 3 | Auburn* | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 17-3 | 76,423 | ||||
| October 10 | Colorado | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 59-0 | 76,169 | ||||
| October 17 | at Kansas State | #19 | KSU Stadium • Manhattan, Kansas | W 49-3 | 45,915 | |||
| October 24 | at #19 Missouri | #15 | Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri | W 6-0 | 72,001 | |||
| October 31 | Kansas | #12 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 31-15 | 76,208 | |||
| November 7 | at Oklahoma State | #11 | Lewis Field • Stillwater, Oklahoma | W 54-7 | 48,500 | |||
| November 14 | Iowa State | #7 | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | W 31-7 | 76,258 | |||
| November 21 | at Oklahoma | #5 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma | W 37-14 | 74,807 | |||
| January 1 | vs. #1 Clemson* | #4 | Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida (Orange Bowl) | NBC | L 15-22 | 72,748 | ||
Read more about this topic: 1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers Football Team