Nebraska’s spot in the national picture is still settling in after three straight wins, and the latest rankings brought a mixed bag for the Huskers.
The AP Top 25 finally gave Nebraska a nod after four weeks of silence, but the rest of the board wasn’t nearly as kind. Following Saturday night’s 34-7 win over North Dakota at Memorial Stadium, two rankings slid the Huskers down a bit, while two others nudged them upward and one stayed put. The broader takeaway: Nebraska is moving, but not by much.
That matters even more now that the Huskers are about to step into Big Ten play for the first time. Nebraska is 3-0 and heads to 2-1 Michigan State on Saturday at 4 o’clock CT on Big Ten Network. With the MAC portion of the schedule done, the rest of the way is all Big Ten, which should give a much clearer read on what kind of team Nebraska really has.
The AP’s mention was modest - Nebraska landed among “others receiving votes” with two votes, dead last in that group - but it was still a step forward after being left out for four straight weeks. Across the six polls and rankings tracked here, Nebraska’s average slot is 39.1. That was 31.3 last week, with the jump driven by the AP inclusion.
The range is wide. ESPN’s Football Power Index has Nebraska at 21, which is still the Huskers’ best placement in the group even after a drop from 20. At the other end, The Athletic has Nebraska at 58, one spot better than a week ago and by far the worst showing among the rankings being monitored.
USA Today’s Coaches Poll also has Nebraska among “others receiving votes,” but the Huskers fell to 40 with 11 points after sitting six spots higher last week. The 25th-ranked team, SMU, has 162 points. The USA Today panel includes 72 coaches, among them Matt Rhule.
CBS Sports has Nebraska at 41, unchanged from last week. That puts the Huskers ahead of eight Big Ten teams in that ranking: Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers.
The AP picture places Nebraska at 42, which means nine Big Ten teams are ranked ahead of the Huskers there. Seven conference teams are in the Top 25, with Indiana the highest at No. 5 after dropping one spot.
The rest of the ranked Big Ten teams are Ohio State at 7, USC at 12, Penn State at 13, Iowa at 17, Michigan at 18 and Oregon at 20. Washington is 26 among “others receiving votes,” and UCLA is 38.
Massey Ratings, a consensus of 40 different college football rankings, moved Nebraska up one spot to 33. Indiana sits at No. 1 in that system, followed by Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia and Alabama.
FPI also trimmed Nebraska’s outlook a bit. The Huskers now have a 95.4 percent chance of winning six games, down from 95.8 percent last week.
ESPN projects Nebraska for 8.1 wins and 3.9 losses, compared with 8.3 wins and 3.8 losses previously. The Huskers’ chances of winning the Big Ten fell to 2.6 percent from 3.0 percent.
Their odds of making the College Football Playoff dipped to 16.7 percent from 18.0 percent. ESPN now gives Nebraska a 0.6 percent shot at reaching the national championship game, down from 1.4 percent, and a 0.5 percent chance of winning it all, up from 0.1 percent.
Nebraska’s upcoming stretch should help sort the picture out quickly, and the first test arrives Saturday in East Lansing.
In Other News...
Nebraska Is Getting A Very Different Michigan State Test Saturday
Michigan State is heading into Big Ten play with a very different feel under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, and that makes Saturdays matchup a little harder to frame than the usual conference opener. According to Stephen Brooks of 247Sports, Fitzgerald has already changed the energy around the program, leaning into a grinder mentality and a work-first approach that has given the Spartans a clearer identity early on.
For Nebraska, that means preparing for a team that may look less like a rebuild and more like a group buying into a specific style of play. Fitzgeralds familiarity with the Big Ten and his reputation as a charismatic leader have helped him win over fans and players quickly, and that early buy-in is part of what makes this a tricky test for the Cornhuskers as they begin to sort out where they stand in conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Face A Memorial Stadium Shakeup Beyond The Renovations
Memorial Stadium is entering a stretch of change that goes beyond cranes and construction crews. Nebraskas Big Red Rebuild is already underway, and with capacity temporarily reduced during renovations, the athletic department is preparing a reseating process ahead of the 2027 season while also rolling out changes to ticket pricing, seating contributions and stadium amenities.
For fans, the next two seasons figure to bring a different game-day experience before the building settles into its final form. Some renovated areas are expected to be ready for 2027, but the full project remains aimed at completion by the 2028 season, when Memorial Stadium is expected to have its full capacity back in place. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas 3-0 Start Is Setting Up A Bigger Debate Than Expected
Nebraskas 34-7 win over North Dakota added another layer to a 3-0 start that has brought a real sense of progress under Matt Rhule. The Cornhuskers have looked more organized in the early going, and the changes around the program have been part of the story too, with several new coaches joining the staff and a new defensive coordinator installing a 4-3-5 scheme.
Now the conversation is shifting from simple improvement to what comes next, because the schedule is about to demand a sharper answer. Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana are waiting, and the early optimism in Lincoln is set to meet a stretch that should say plenty about how real this start actually is. [Read more 🡒]