Fox 100% wanted to have Nebraska @ Illinois in primetime on a Friday night. The last time they faced each other was a Friday Night B1G Opener on Fox, and it was an absolute home run game for the network. Similarly, with UCLA being on the West Coast, they were likely looking for a more late game to put on their calendar (happy to see that they think the Illini team will bring eye balls). The reality is that the tv networks have the most sway on days and gametimes. I am just happy that of the non-Saturday games for us, only one of them is before Friday.
I sit here and see back-to-back games on primetime Fox (with few other games being played) in November as a super plus for the program. It also allows for a more relaxed day of watching other programs play on Saturday, but that may be just me.
